A British group has launched a judicial review challenging NHS England’s adoption of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism.
The UK’s health secretary, Wes Streeting, asked the National Health Service to adopt the non-binding definition in October 2025.
Right to Protest, which was founded by NHS vascular surgeon Dr. Ranjeet Brar, alleges this was done without consultation, transparency, or safeguards, and its use has “restricted lawful expression and created widespread fear among healthcare professionals, patients, and academics who speak critically about Israel or in solidarity with Palestinians.”
Right to Protest, which has created a crowdfunding page, argued that medical staff who raise ethical concerns about Israel’s actions now face being treated as potential offenders rather than professionals acting in good faith and that “free speech on Judaism” is also restricted.
The group hired London-based law firm Imran Khan & Partners to represent it.
IHRA definition adoption
According to the law firm, a Letter Before Claim was sent out on 23 December 2025, after concerns were raised about the definition. Allegedly, no risk assessment was carried out prior to the adoption of the IHRA definition. “The judicial review challenges the growing reliance on the IHRA definition by regulators and public bodies to restrict lawful speech,” said the law firm.
The next step in the legal process is for a High Court judge to review the papers and decide whether the case is arguable and has a real prospect of success. If permission is granted, the case proceeds to a full hearing. If it is not, the case likely ends.
Dr. Brar is no stranger to controversy. Outside of his main role as a consultant vascular and endovascular surgeon at King’s College Hospital, he is also a proud communist and general secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist).
Brar has been consistently vocal in his pro-Palestine activism, particularly since October 7, 2023.
He was arrested at a Palestine solidarity protest in February 2024 on terrorism charges after he was found selling a pamphlet that featured a Star of David blended with a swastika and conspiracy theories about Jews. The justification for the arrest was that the leaflet “supported Hamas, a banned organization” in breach of the 2000 UK Terrorism Act; however, the police later dropped the charges.
The book, Zionism: A Racist, Antisemitic and Reactionary Tool of Imperialism, is still selling for £10.