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Who is Kulvinder Kaur Gill? Elon Musk's X to pay legal bills for Canadian doctor targetted over COVID-19 tweets
Elon Musk's X on Sunday announced that it is funding legal bills for a Canadian doctor who was “subjected to investigation” over her stance on COVID-19 policy.
Elon Musk-owned social media platform X on Sunday announced that it is funding legal bills for a Canadian doctor who was “harassed and subjected to investigation” over her controversial stance on COVID-19 policy.
In 2021, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario warned Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill about her tweets, one of which claimed the COVID-19 vaccine was unnecessary.
Gill, an immunologist and physician, is currently running a crowdfunding effort to raise $300,000 to cover legal expenses, including a cost order from a case she filed against what she described as a "malicious online smear campaign."
In a video posted on her social media account on X on March 22, Gill said: “My deadline is at the end of March. And it's $300,000 that I don't have after nearly four years of being entangled in multiple legal battles, trying to advocate for my patients, trying to advocate for Canadians and trying to advocate for myself.”
“So it's now looking quite grim,” she added.
Calling the current situation "daunting", the Canadian physician said: "I never thought that this would be the cost of speaking the truth to the power of being compelled to speak my conscience."
Earlier this week, Gill tagged Musk in a post on X and pleaded for assistance to pay her legal bills.
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Elon Musk's X comes out in support
In response to her post, X News expressed its support for Gill, claiming that she was harassed, subjected to inquiries and disciplinary actions by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario because she slammed Canadian government over COVID lockdown efforts and vaccination mandates.
X has announced that it would now finance Gill's campaign so that she can pay her $300,000 judgment and legal fees, emphasising that "free speech is the bedrock of democracy and a critical defense against totalitarianism in all forms."
“We must do whatever we can to protect it, and at X we will always fight to protect your right to speak freely,” it added.
This move came as Musk, last year in August, made a post on X pledging to pay the legal fees of any individual who was "unfairly treated" by their company “due to posting or liking something on this platform.”
Expressing gratitude to Musk, Gill confirmed that X contacted her directly confirming the X owner's “commitment to pay remainder of campaign to reach $300K”. “Elon has committed to assisting my appeal of 3 CPSO cautions, for my 2020 tweets opposing lockdowns, to the very end (ONCA & SCC if needed),” she said in a tweet.
Know more about Kulvinder Kaur Gill
The crowdfunding website that is assisting Gill describes her as a front-line physician in Canada, who believes in fully informed voluntary consent with no coercion or restrictions in all medical decisions. She has long advocated for patient autonomy, safeguarding the patient-doctor relationship, and high-quality healthcare system.
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She was the first Canadian physicians to openly speak out on social media about the catastrophic and irreversible effects caused by lockdowns in the summer of 2020, according to the website. It further claims that she instantly became the target of a coordinated harmful online slander effort that pushed the public to file complaints with her regulating college. She then initiated legal proceedings to clear her name from the bogus defamation.
