England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty was berated in the street and called a liar, according to a video uploaded to TikTok on Tuesday.
The video shows a young man telling Whitty repeatedly that he is a liar.
The TikTok account that posted the video has since been removed.
Whitty was at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic as an adviser to the British government and regularly appears at press conferences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock condemned the video and told BBC Breakfast, “I feel sorry for the person involved. I think it’s ridiculous what he does. “
Hancock praised Whitty, saying, “Chris Whitty is one of the greatest living scientists and his advice to the government all along, and his advice to all of us in the population was incredible, incredibly smart and thoughtful and he is a great asset. for this nation. “
Matt Vickers, Conservative MP for Stockton South, also criticized the video via Twitter.
“This is awful, I really can’t believe these images,” Vickers wrote. “Chris Whitty is committed to getting us through this crisis and should never be exposed to this abuse.”
The UK health service told CNN they are “concerned that the more these videos circulate, the more it might encourage others to do the same.”