TORY MP Michael Gove was today chased down the street by demonstrators before police were seen rushing him away to safety.
The Cabinet Minister was caught on film walking outside a Home Office building in London before people hurled verbal abuse, and then attempted to chase him.
Police were quick to act as numerous officers surrounded Gove to form a barrier between the MP and the protestors.
It is understood that the demonstrators were anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown.
A video of the incident shared on Twitter by vlogger Paul Brown erroneously tagged and named a "Michael Grove".
MP Michael Grove getting chased by pro freedom protesters on the streets outside the home office protected very quickly by the police @MichaelGroveMP pic.twitter.com/JVEJM06K4r
— Paul Brown 🇬🇧 Browns fan🏈 London News 🎥Vlogger (@PaulBrown_UK) October 19, 2021
what’s most sinister about this is that he has no way of knowing whether they are harmless wingnuts or pose an actual physical danger pic.twitter.com/0DuIP9Cuv8
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) October 19, 2021
Commenting on the incident, the Metropolitan Police tweeted: “We’re aware of a protest in Westminster today which is marching to a number of locations.
“During this protest, a group attempted to surround a Member of Parliament on Horseferry Road.
“Our officers were immediately on scene where they safely escorted him to a nearby building.”
The force said there had been no arrests, adding: "We know there is footage circulating online of this incident, we will review this and our officers body worn video to see if any offences occurred.
There were no arrests. We know there is footage circulating online of this incident, we will review this and our officers body worn video to see if any offences occurred.
— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) October 19, 2021
We continue to escort the protest and will be working hard to disrupt any potential criminal activity.
"We continue to escort the protest and will be working hard to disrupt any potential criminal activity."
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the “harassment and intimidation” of anyone going about their daily business was completely unacceptable.
“We will expect the police to take this kind of behaviour seriously. While peaceful protest remains an important cornerstone of our democracy, threatening, intimidating or abusive language cannot be tolerated,” the spokesman said.
“The approach we have taken, particularly on issues such as vaccination, is to provide clarity and information to provide reassurance to those who have legitimate questions.
“What is completely unacceptable is for those who disagree with our approach to try and target individuals, be they ministers or schools or parents and children.
“That sort of behaviour is abhorrent and will never be tolerated in a democratic society.”
The incident comes only a few days after Sir David Amess’s fatal stabbing during a constituent surgery, and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel also said that police will possibly guard MPs in future meetings with the public.
The Home Secretary said "protection" for MPs while they are holding talks with constituents was one of the options being considered under a "whole spectrum" of measures to address safety concerns in the wake of the Southend West MP's killing on Friday.
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