A video showing a man walking up to a panel of OBGYNs at a conference in Baltimore, slapping the speaker and accusing him of sexually assaulting his wife, has gone viral on Twitter.
The video, which was posted on social media, shows the incident that took place at the 2023 Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), as reported by WMAR.
'You Know What You Did'
The video contains a lot of explicit language from the man who accuses the doctor of sexually assaulting his wife seven years ago before slapping the doctor on stage.
"You know what you did," the man is heard saying before repeatedly calling the doctor in question a "predator" and accusing him of inappropriately touching his wife, who is seen accompanying him as he gets off stage.
"This is for all men who sexually assault women," he says in the 2-minute clip."My wife is suffering because you are a f***ing predator," he adds while walking towards the back of the room.
Baltimore Police confirmed the physical assault on the doctor at the conference, telling us it happened on Saturday, May 20th at 4:33pm.
"The assaulted individual stated that he did not want to file criminal charges or file a report against the individual who physically assaulted him and that he would prefer the individual be escorted off the premises," says a spokesperson for the department.
ACOG Releases Statement to Address Incident
The ACOG released a statement on Twitter Thursday afternoon, addressing the video and seeming to verify its authenticity.
"We are aware of a recent video posted of an incident that occurred at ACOG's Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting. We want to make clear that we take every measure possible to create a safe environment for our members and do not tolerate violence of any kind," the statement read.
The statement goes on to say, "We recognize that those who witnessed the incident in person or online may have experienced trauma as a result, including many of you who have experienced sexual assault or other violence in the past."
On Friday afternoon, June 2, ACOG put out the following statement:
"ACOG is aware of a security incident that occurred between two individuals at the recent Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. Security protocols were followed, and the situation was rapidly addressed by plainclothes security and eventually the Baltimore Police Department.
"Safety of our members and meeting attendees is a top priority. ACOG works hard to provide safe, secure environments at all of our meetings, including ACSM. ACOG does not condone violence of any kind, including sexual assault. We have strong, clear statements and policies in opposition to harassment, including sexual harassment at ACOG and in any professional setting. We cannot provide additional details because of confidentiality obligations and would refer you to the appropriate legal authorities for anything further."
Doctor Identified as William Burke
The doctor in question was identified by MedPageToday as Dr. William Burke – Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stony Brook Medicine.
"We take this matter seriously. Stony Brook University officials are reviewing the circumstances and taking the necessary measures to address any issues resulting from this incident," Stony Brook University said in its statement on Twitter.
