a day ago
Med student stalked, doxxed over pro-Palestinian activism
Gabrielle Wimer, a newly minted physician, began her medical residency in Oakland under unusual and stressful circumstances. On a Friday morning, just three days before starting at Highland Emergency Medicine, Wimer, a Columbia University graduate, received a shocking message from a friend: a van was outside the hospital displaying her photograph alongside the statement, 'A violent antisemite is starting her residency at Highland Emergency Medicine.'
'It was a van, actually. A slate-black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-Cab Chassis van pulling an LED video screen that projected Wimer's photo next to an incendiary, and false, statement,' Wimer recalled to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The display, organized by the conservative nonprofit Accuracy in Media (AIM), also listed a URL where visitors could submit prewritten complaints to the hospital's parent organization.
Wimer said her immediate reaction was disbelief. 'Are you serious?' she asked herself. 'I thought it was over.'
The harassment campaign stemmed from Wimer's earlier activism. In March, she participated in a sit-in at Barnard College protesting the expulsion of students involved in a disruption of an 'Israeli' history class. Although the protest led to arrests after a bomb threat turned out to be false, Wimer and others were labeled 'radicals' by conservative media outlets. Her residency and personal details were subsequently circulated by groups such as Physicians Against Antisemitism and Canary Mission.
AIM continued its campaign online. In July, the group posted videos featuring Wimer's image and mischaracterized her activism as violent. Wimer stressed that the protests she participated in were peaceful. 'No injuries were reported from the protest and I was never accused of violence,' she said.
Wimer's experience reflects a broader trend in which individual activists face organized harassment. Experts note that groups like AIM and Canary Mission operate with minimal transparency, often targeting students and young professionals who advocate for Palestinian rights.
'There's a cruelty and a harshness and a coarseness involved in this that I find really disturbing and problematic,' said Edward Wasserman, a UC Berkeley journalism professor.
Despite the pressure, Wimer has continued her medical work. In Oakland, she now serves in an emergency department, handling trauma cases and working with patients from diverse backgrounds. 'It's everything I hoped it would be. I'm surrounded by colleagues who want to be exactly where they are, and by patients who gladly, proudly call Oakland home,' she said.
Wimer, who grew up in Connecticut and spent time volunteering internationally before entering medicine, has remained committed to her values. 'Figuring out how to keep people safe in the East Bay and ending the genocide are both very important to me,' she said. 'There's only so much I can do in the emergency department.'
While the harassment campaign has quieted since she started her residency, Wimer said the experience has left a lasting impression. 'I had graduated, I was ready to focus on becoming the best doctor that I could be,' she said. 'But we both know that wasn't the case.'
