We’re used to anti-vaxxers spouting some pretty stomach-churning bile, but one London protester has taken her rants to a whole other level.
A woman, understood to be proud conspiracy theorist Kate Shemirani, stood on the steps of Trafalgar Square on Saturday to address a mass gathering of demonstrators marching against Covid restrictions and vaccines.
Shemirani is an ex-health worker who was struck off the nursing register last month for denying the existence of coronavirus and discouraging people from getting jabbed.
In her furious speech – recordings of which have been widely shared on social media – the mother-of-four turned against members of her former profession, comparing NHS staff to those in Nazi Germany who were hung for their crimes.
She told the clamouring throng: "Ask those that are giving [the Covid vaccine], has there been any deaths?
"Ask them what is in it. Ask them, get their names, you email them to me... with a group of lawyers we are collating all that.
"At the Nuremberg trials, the doctors and nurses stood trial and they hung."
Then, as people in the crowd whistled and cheered, she added: "If you are a doctor or a nurse, now is the time to get off that bus, get off and stand with us, the people."
Her unconscionable message was met with a fierce backlash online as Twitter users flocked to condemn the comments and voice their support for all NHS staff.
The hashtag “#gotyourbackNHS” was one of the platform’s top trends over the weekend and on Monday morning after ICU doctor Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden tweeted:
If you’re retweeting this please follow…you can also tweet a message of support for NHS staff on the hashtag #gotyourbackNHS. It’s trending at number 7, please help get it to the top and show NHS staff they are appreciated. We are heartbroken 🙏🏻 https://t.co/a3ftigZITh
— Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden 💙 (@sbattrawden) July 24, 2021
Here’s how other supporters, including the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan, responded:
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.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) July 24, 2021
A plea: this account is run by frontline NHS staff. After the scenes today in Trafalgar Square our inbox is distressing. You don’t know how much it meant to all of us to see the tidal wave of support on the hashtag #gotyourbackNHS. If you support us please follow and RT 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/GPiBL2SjHj
— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) July 24, 2021
This makes me so sad, I have lost count of the number of abusive DMs I get for working shifts in the local vaccine centre or for advising people to take up the vaccine
— Dr Amir Khan GP (@DrAmirKhanGP) July 24, 2021
I rise above it, but at times they are very personal
Thank you @NHSMillion and @sbattrawden #gotyourbackNHS https://t.co/D2pwlVo0eo
Always #gotyourbackNHS 💙
— Ranj Singh (@DrRanj) July 24, 2021
Always #gotyourbackNHS, but especially now. It’s why I continue to do all I can to play my part: by having gotten my 2 jabs and by continuing to wear a mask and keeping a distance. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. 💙 pic.twitter.com/ek0HeUC90T
— Prof Tanja Bueltmann (@TanjaBueltmann) July 24, 2021
If you agreed/joined in/stood and cheered at today’s Anti-vaxxer protest in Trafalgar Square, please DO NOT FOLLOW ME BECAUSE I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOUR VILE WORDS AND DEEDS! #gotyourbackNHS 😡
— Anna-Jane Casey (@AnnaJaneCasey) July 24, 2021
We have absolutely #gotyourbackNHS staff.
— Healthcare Workers' Foundation 💙 (@theHWF) July 24, 2021
If you need financial, physical or emotional support, you can access it here: https://t.co/e9NKUJ6b7W
And please don’t let such a small minority affect your mood - the vast majority are right behind you. https://t.co/kk3HwcebNy
This is appalling. Our NHS staff are brilliant and have worked so hard to save so many people over the past year. #gotyourbackNHS https://t.co/MuRCT609Tp
— Prof Cath Noakes #Ventilate 😷 💙 (@CathNoakes) July 24, 2021
To all my friends and especially my selfless family members, thank you for all you’ve done #gotyourbackNHS pic.twitter.com/wmfBowmq2i
— Steve 🌹 (@iStevio) July 25, 2021
To my NHS colleagues watching today’s event.
— Kate Jarman 💙 (@KateBurkeNHS) July 24, 2021
They didn’t bear witness to what you did. They didn’t hold the hands, make the calls, risk their lives. You did. You carry the burden of that trauma.
Their words are vile. Your actions were courageous & compassionate #gotyourbackNHS
To my NHS friends and colleagues.
— Dr Nikita Kanani (she/her) (@NikkiKF) July 25, 2021
You are appreciated, and loved, and valued.
No one knows what you - we - have been through. The damage we’ve done to ourselves while caring for others.
But that’s what we do. And we won’t forget.
We’ve #gotyourbackNHS. Always 🙏🏽. pic.twitter.com/xL4I6kIX1o
To my NHS colleagues
— Hayley Bishop (@bishophayley2) July 25, 2021
They didn’t bear witness to what you did. They didn’t hold the hands, make the calls, risk their lives. You did. You carry the burden of that trauma.
Their words are vile. Your actions were courageous & compassionate #gotyourbackNHS
After the mayor said he had raised the matter directly with the Metropolitan Police, the force said in a statement that it was “aware of a video circulating on social media” and that officers were “carrying out inquiries to establish whether any offences have been committed” but “no arrests have been made."
Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday for a so-called “Worldwide rally for freedom" – five days after most lockdown rules were lifted in England.
Conspiracy theorists David Icke, Gillian McKeith and Piers Corbyn were among the speakers at the demonstration in Trafalgar Square.
The event also attracted far-right commentator Katie Hopkins, who was deported from Australia earlier this week after boasting about her plans to flout quarantine rules.
At the end of the rally, protesters marched from Trafalgar Square along Whitehall to Parliament Square.
Police said one demonstrator was arrested outside Downing Street after throwing a bottle at officers.
Commander Catherine Roper tweeted: “Violence will not be tolerated. We encourage the remaining crowd to continue their demonstration peacefully.”
Similar demonstrations were held in Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, and Dublin where hundreds of protesters chanted “shame on you” at police officers.
The organisers of the “World Wide Rally for Freedom” claimed that protests would take place in more than 180 cities across the world.
They said they were protesting against continued coronavirus restrictions, mask rules, compulsory vaccinations and vaccine passports.
“Authoritarian coronavirus restrictions have damaged our lives more than any virus has,” the group announced in a statement.
“And even if the effects of the virus were more damaging, the restrictions to our freedoms would still have been unjust and unlawful.”
