According to the video footage taken outside Downing Street, BBC Newsnight political editor Nick Watt runs for his safety while being chased and shouted at by a number of people.
UK prime
minister Boris Johnson has condemned 'disgraceful' footage of a BBC reporter
being chased and abused by a group of anti-lockdown protesters.
A video clip
posted by an anti-lockdown group shows BBC Newsnight political editor Nick Watt
pursued through Whitehall in central London on Monday.
The
Metropolitan Police, which was present outside Downing Street at the time, has
launched an investigation but said its officers “were not in the immediate
vicinity of the incident”.
Clearly
concerned for his wellbeing, the Newsnight journalist starts running to get
away from the chasing mob as they continue to shout abuse at him.
In the
three-minute clip, they can be heard shouting “traitor”, “run you ****” and
“shame on you” at the journalist.
Downing
Street said the prime minister had seen the footage, describing it as
"deeply disturbing". "Journalists should never face that kind of
behaviour. The right to protest may be fundamental in our democracy but
violence, threats and intimidation like this is never acceptable," a
spokesperson said.
Johnson
tweeted: “Disgraceful to see the hounding of Nick Watt doing his job. The media
must be able to report the facts without fear or favour – they are the
lifeblood of our democracy.”
The clip was
posted on YouTube by Resistance GB, a group that claims to be “anti-lockdown,
pro freedom, liberal” on its Instagram page.
In the video,
Watt is followed by a number of protesters, one of whom grabs him by the
shoulder, while others shout in his face.
To escape the
protesters, he eventually runs past a police cordon and into the Downing Street
entrance.
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