Yahoo Finance No 10 condemns behaviour of anti-vax blogger after he targets Jonathan Van-Tam
Downing Street has condemned an anti-vax blogger who filmed himself ranting at Professor Jonathan Van-Tam in the street and claimed the Deputy Chief Medical Officer was going to prison for lying to the country about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Geza Tarjanyi, 60, from Lancashire, targeted and heckled Mr Van-Tam who kept his cool as he entered the Ministry of Defence building on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: "People working to fight the pandemic and save lives, which is what Professor Van-Tam is doing every single day, should never face that kind of appalling behaviour for doing their job. The right to free speech is fundamental to our democracy, but violence, threats or intimidation is absolutely never acceptable."
In a video shared to Facebook Tarjanyi, a prominent 5G sceptic and anti-lockdowner, says to Van-Tam: “What was really in that needle that you put into Matt Hancock?
“Why are you continually lying to the British people? Why are you smiling? This country’s supposed to be in the worst pandemic of all time.”
Professor Van-Tam politely replied under his breath: “It is.”
But Mr Tarjanyi continued: “And you keep lying to the people. So, Chris Whitty never speaks to me. Do you think you’re brave enough to speak to me, and explain to the British people why you’re lying to them?”
Professor Van-Tam calmly walks into the MoD, but Mr Tarjanyi follows him to the security desk, adding: “You see, you can run, but you can’t hide, Van Tam.
“The British people are going to get justice for what you’ve done to this country. All of you liars will be going to prison, I guarantee it. Every single one of you, a traitor to the country. A genocide.”
The same blogger targeted Professor Chris Whitty a couple of weeks ago accusing him of lying, with the Chief Medical Officer for England briskly walking away refusing to engage.
It comes as six in 10 adults in the UK are estimated to have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, latest figures show.
A total of 31,740,115 second doses have now been delivered since the vaccination rollout began in December last year.
Responding to the figures, which have been published by the UK’s four health agencies, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine are absolutely vital in ensuring the fullest possible protection the jabs have to offer – it’s extraordinary that three in five people have now been vaccinated with both jabs.
“No matter where you live, where you come from, your background or your beliefs – provided you are over 18, there is a vaccine available to you. I urge everyone eligible to get their jab and help us get back to normality.”
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