Anti-vaxxers vow to continue targeting politicians after Keir Starmer mobbed

Anti-vaxxers have said they will continue targeting politicians after Keir Starmer was mobbed by a group of protesters.

Activists could be heard branding the Labour leader a “traitor”, referring to Jimmy Savile and calling him a “paedo protector” and shouting that Covid vaccines “are killing people”, during the incident on Monday.

Sir Keir was bundled into a police car to get away from the mob near parliament, sparking renewed pressure for Boris Johnson to withdraw claims that the former director of public prosecutions was responsible for failing to prosecute Savile.

The Labour leader, alongside shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, appear to have accidentally walked into a “freedom convoy” protest organised by prominent conspiracy theorists including Piers Corbyn.

One anti-vaxx activists attending filmed the aftermath and said Sir Keir had “got a message”.

“He looked so scared, he looked petrified,” she said in a video posted to almost 12,000 followers on the Telegram messaging app. “All they were doing was shouting, the guy was protected by security, telling a few home truths.”

The woman said protesters had asked the politician if he was working for the “New World Order” and was a “traitor of the people”.

“This is being called ‘harassment’ and we expect more arrests in line with the alleged ‘harassment and common assault’ of Chris Whitty,” she wrote.

“A message to all politicians, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen; for one day, you will all be held to account.”

Footage of the confrontation was shared on Mr Corbyn’s channel, where a post said the Labour leader had been “told by the people what they think of him”.

In a separate video Mr Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said he would return to another “freedom convoy” demonstration the following day.

He hailed Monday’s protest as a “brilliant day”, adding: “Well done to everybody involved.”

The footage was widely shared and discussed in Telegram groups used by anti-vaxxers and anti-lockdown activists on Monday night.

“They [politicians] are all SCUM,” one channel member wrote. “Going to need more than a few goons as personal protection if things get any worse. Not a threat. A prediction.”

Others suggested the incident was a “set up”, involving “agents provacateur” to discredit the anti-lockdown movement.

The Metropolitan Police said two people were arrested on suspicion of assault after a traffic cone was thrown at a police officer during the unrest.

The footage was also shared by far-right figures and groups, including Britain First.

Tommy Robinson, the former English Defence League leader, wrote on Telegram: “This is what happens when you don’t investigate known paedophiles and the child victims never see justice handed out.”

Extreme right-wing figures and groups have consistently shared material accusing Sir Keir of personal responsibility over the Savile case since he became Labour leader in April 2020.

MrJohnson is facing fresh demands to apologise for the smear he levelled at Sir Keir following Monday’s incident.

Technology minister Chris Philp said Mr Johnson could not be held responsible for the “unacceptable” actions of the demonstrators.

He said that some of those taking part had been involved in similar incidents targeting communities secretary Michael Gove and the BBC journalist Nick Watt.

“They did mention Jimmy Savile. They also mentioned Julian Assange repeatedly, they mentioned Covid, they also mentioned the opposition more generally,” he told Sky News.

“I don't think you can point to what the prime minister said as the cause of that. You certainly can't blame him for the fact that that mob were clearly behaving in a totally unacceptable way.

“You certainly can't say that what he said in any way prompted, provoked or justified the harassment and intimidation we saw last night.”

Last week Mr Johnson falsely claimed Sir Keir “used his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile” while leading the Crown Prosecution Service.

Coming under renewed criticism, Mr Johnson tweeted on Monday evening that the “behaviour directed” at the Labour leader was “absolutely disgraceful” but did not address the nature of the abuse.

Julian Smith, who previously served as Mr Johnson's Northern Ireland secretary, tweeted: “What happened to Keir Starmer outside parliament is appalling.

“It is really important for our democracy and for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full.”

Former minister Stephen Hammond, one of the 15 Tory MPs to have publicly called for Mr Johnson to resign over alleged Covid breaches, said he agreed with Mr Smith, as did Robert Largan and Aaron Bell, who were elected in 2019.

Senior Tory Sir Roger Gale urged Mr Johnson to make a Commons apology on Tuesday over the abuse which he feared could be the result of Mr Johnson's “deliberately careless” Savile allegation.

Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, told the prime minister to “apologise please”.

“Let's stop this drift towards a Trumpian style of politics from becoming the norm,” he added.

Kim Leadbeater, the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox who is now herself a Labour MP, said she was “incredibly angry and upset” about what had happened.

“Words have consequences, leaders have a duty to behave responsibly and politics is not a game. Our country deserves far better,” she tweeted.

Sir Keir apologised while director of public prosecutions in 2013 for the CPS having failed to bring Savile to justice four years earlier.

There is, however, no evidence that Sir Keir had any personal role in the failure to prosecute the man who was one of Britain's most egregious sex offenders before his death in 2011.