Anti-vaxxer condemned by Downing Street for abusing Jonathan Van-Tam in street
It’s not the first time Mr Tarjanyi has targeted a government adviser in public
An anti-vaxxer has verbally abused England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, accusing him of being “a traitor to the country”.
Geza Tarjanyi, from Leyland in Lancashire, launched into a tirade against the public official on Tuesday as he entered the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall.
Mr Tarjanyi, who is a vocal critic of 5G mobile networks, fracking and coronavirus restrictions, was heard threatened him, saying: “You see, you can run, but you can’t hide, Van-Tam.”
In a video posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday, the 60-year-old can also be heard asking the deputy chief medical officer what was really in the first Covid-19 vaccine dose he administered to health secretary Matt Hancock’ earlier this year.
He added that British people “are going to get justice for what you’ve done to this country”, which he claims amounts to “genocide”.
In response to the incident, the prime minister’s official spokesperson 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 jobs.
“The right to free speech is fundamental to our democracy but violence, threats and intimidation are absolutely never acceptable.”
This is not the first time Mr Tarjanyi has targeted a government adviser in public.
He travelled to Oxford three weeks ago to confront England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty, asking him: “Is Bill Gates funding this?”
In a separate incident, Prof Whitty has also been verbally abused by a 15-year-old boy, who filmed himself in early February repeatedly calling the chief medical officer a “liar”.
The boy’s mother decided to confiscate his PlayStation as punishment for his actions, saying she was extremely disappointed with his behaviour.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies