THE police are investigating remarks made at an anti-lockdown protest about the hanging of medical staff after the Nuremberg Trials.
Addressing a rally in Trafalgar Square, London, Kate Shemirani, a former nurse, asked for details of NHS workers to be collected and sent to her.
“Get their names. Email them to me. With a group of lawyers, we are collecting all that,” she said.
“At the Nuremberg Trials, the doctors and nurses stood trial and they hung. If you are a doctor or a nurse, now is the time to get off that bus ... and stand with us the people,” she added.
Shemirani, who was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council last month for spreading misinformation about Covid, made the remarks at an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest that was promoted as a “worldwide rally for freedom” and was held five days after virtually all restrictions were lifted in England and Scotland moved to Level 0 curbs.
Conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer and struck-off nurse Kate Shemirani is here literally threatening NHS doctors with the noose.
— Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) July 24, 2021
I believe she is inciting hatred and would be grateful @metpoliceuk if you could please investigate.
Please RT if you agree. pic.twitter.com/0j5jRYBYhd
Several NHS workers expressed anger on social media and called for the police to take action.
Rachel Clarke, a palliative care doctor, posted a video of the protest on Twitter and wrote: "Conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer and struck-off nurse Kate Shemirani is here literally threatening NHS doctors with the noose. I believe she is inciting hatred and would be grateful @metpoliceuk if you could please investigate. Please RT if you agree."
Kate Jarman, director of corporate affairs at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said on Twitter that Shemirani’s remarks were not an isolated incident. “We’ve had letters accusing us of genocide, I’ve had similar over social media, I expect every doctor, nurse and NHS employee who has any kind of social media/ public profile has,” she said. “It’s abhorrent.”
Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden wrote on Twitter: “As an ICU doctor who has given everything trying to save lives this makes me want to cry.”
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: “This is utterly appalling, and I have raised it directly with the Met Police. Our NHS staff are the heroes of this pandemic and Londoners from across this city roundly reject this hate.”
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said that the remarks were being investigated. “We are aware of video circulating online showing a speech that occurred during a rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, 24 July," they stated. Officers are carrying out inquiries to establish whether any offences have been committed. No arrests have been made.”
NHS Million, a campaign group, tweeted: “This is what NHS staff woke up to this morning. A rally talking about hanging doctors and nurses. This has caused considerable distress amongst NHS staff.”
Shemirani had her Twitter account suspended late last year.
In an interview with the BBC in October, Shemirani's son Sebastian Shemirani said his mother was someone "with a massive amount of self-interest" who "loves being the centre of attention".
He said what she was doing online and at rallies was "dangerous" and a threat to public health. He said he no longer has a relationship with his mother because of her beliefs in conspiracy theories.
The Nuremberg Trials took place after World War Two when prominent members of the Nazi regime were prosecuted for their role in the Holocaust and other war crimes.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel