The Swedish Labor Court on Thursday ruled that a doctor who claimed he was discriminated against and let go by Karolinska University Hospital because of his Jewish heritage was wrongfully fired from his post and must be reinstated.
The Swedish Medical Association had sued the hospital in June on behalf of the doctor.
On Wednesday, the doctor received word that the hospital had admitted in court that his dismissal had been without basis. The court subsequently ordered that he be reinstated and that the hospital compensate him for 32 months of work.
The case began in 2018, when the doctor began stating that he was suffering harassment as a result of his Jewish identity, The doctor filed a lawsuit against the hospital over this harassment in October, 2021. The hospital subsequently fired the doctor, despite the fact that he is a well-known and experienced physician in his field of practice.
According to the lawsuit, the doctor and other Jewish employees were subject to antisemitic harassment on Facebook, including jokes about his nose, and was told he “whined like a Jew,” according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
The lawsuit also alleged that the doctor was prevented from carrying out his research, reassigned, and given a lower salary than less qualified colleagues solely because of his Jewish identity.
The World Zionist Organization (WZO), which supported the doctor in his lawsuit, hailed the verdict as a victory against antisemitism.
“This is a very important victory in the fight for awareness and narrative, and an important message to government institutions around the world that Jews should not be harmed,” said Raheli Baratz-Rix, head of the department for combatting antisemitism at the WZO.
The Lawfare Project called it “unusual” and “stunning” that the employer admitted in court to wrongfully terminating an employee,