Chris Whitty: Anti-lockdown mob gather at his home as concerns over security grow
30 June 2021, 09:43
A crowd gathered outside Chris Whitty's home to brand him a "traitor" as concerns grow about England's chief medical officer's safety and security.
A large group was seen carrying signs and megaphones in clips posted online, angrily shouting accusations of "traitor" and "murderer".
The footage comes as a shocking clip emerged of two men grabbing and following the professor as he tries to walk away from them in St James's Park.
It is understood the gathering outside his home occurred one day before the incident in St James's Park.
The incidents have sparked concern as to whether the health expert needs protection, having been thrown into the limelight during the pandemic.
Read more: PM condemns 'despicable harassment' of Chris Whitty as police investigate incident
Read more: Professor Chris Whitty responds after being harangued by Covidiot in the street
Prof Whitty has become an unlikely celebrity and gained fans for his calm and informative press conferences and appearances in adverts urging people to maintain social distancing to stop Covid spreading.
But to some lockdown sceptics he has become something akin to a hate figure, and they blame him for being one of the reasons lockdown was implemented and falsely accused him of lying about the pandemic.
Prof Whitty and other top Government experts have had to fight against the growth of misinformation about the virus and vaccines.
James O'Brien responds to Whitty's harassment
This week, footage also emerged of what Boris Johnson called the "despicable harassment" of Prof Whitty in London.
A 20 second clip shows two grinning men follow him as they shout "oi oi" and "one photo please", while another voice can be heard saying "leave the gentleman alone".
The Prime Minister said he "should not have to face this kind of intimidation".
The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating.
"We are aware of a video being shared online showing an incident in St James's Park. Officers spoke to all those involved at the time and their details were taken," the force said.
"We are in contact with the victim and the circumstances continue to be investigated."
The incident led to criticism as to why the professor was not being closely guarded given his prominence.
Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said: "I know that if he was the statue of someone with a dubious past, he would have a dozen strong security detail."
Earlier this year, footage of a "young lad" verbally haranguing the expert was posted online, and in June he was filmed being confronted in Oxford by a man who accused him of lying about coronavirus.
