Professor Chris Whitty Grabbed And Harassed By Two Men As Medic Tries To Get Away

This is the moment Professor Chris Whitty is accosted in a park by two men who grab hold of him:

England's chief medical officer, who has been at the forefront of the public guidance when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, attempts to walk away from the men as they shout 'oi oi' and ask: "One photo, please?"

The clip, which is around 20 seconds long, shows the grinning men grab him again and a voice in the background can be heard saying 'Leave the gentleman alone'.

Now the police are investigating the incident which took place at St James's Park, London.

Twitter

Twitter

In a tweet, the Metropolitan Police said: "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.

"We are in contact with the victim and the circumstances continue to be investigated."

The widely-shared video has sparked a heated reaction, with a number of MPs swift to condemn those involved and some figures calling for police protection for key scientific advisers during the pandemic.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted: "This is disgusting and these thugs must be found and charged. Zero tolerance for harassing a public servant."

PA

Labour MP Jess Phillips said Prof Whitty had been made to feel 'awful and uncomfortable' and issued a reminder that public figures 'are human beings'.

"Even if you perceive it as non violent it is clear that he felt awful and uncomfortable and resisted," Ms Phillips tweeted.

"Public figures are not dolls, they are human beings, it is stunning how easily this is forgotten."

It is not the first time Prof Whitty has been forced to endure public harassment.

Earlier this month, he was confronted in a street in Oxford by a man accusing him of lying to the public about coronavirus, while in February a man accosted the chief medical officer outside Westminster.

The person filming follows him along the street, before pausing as Whitty stops - continually harassing him throughout the encounter.

A voice behind the camera can be heard calling Whitty a 'liar', saying he's 'lying about the Covid-19 cases' and to 'stop lying to the TV, man'.

Topics: UK News, News, Coronavirus, UK, Covid-19

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

@RJShepherd94