‘Pedophile protector’ mobbed outside UK Parliament

Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer was accosted by anti-lockdown protesters outside parliament and accused of being a “traitor” and of “protecting pedophiles” on Monday evening.

The anti-lockdown protesters chanted the name of deceased sex predator Jimmy Savile, and repeated Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s heavily criticized accusation that Starmer had failed to prosecute Savile when he led the Crown Prosecution Service.

The demonstrators followed Starmer and David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, along the Victoria Embankment as they walked back to parliament after attending a briefing on Ukraine at the Ministry of Defense. Starmer eventually had to be escorted by officers to a nearby police car. 

The mob also protested over the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and expressed their opposition to Covid restrictions, the vast majority of which have already been removed.

A spokesperson for the police said two people had been arrested at the scene in connection with the assault of an emergency worker. A traffic cone was among the objects thrown at an officer.
Johnson was quick to condemn the mob.

“The behaviour directed at the Leader of the Opposition tonight is absolutely disgraceful. All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable. I thank the police for responding swiftly,” the prime minister tweeted. 

MPs further criticized the PM on Tuesday for his original comments in which he accused the opposition leader of being responsible for failing to prosecute Savile.

Johnson has been widely criticized for his false claim which even prompted the resignation of the PM’s policy chief and long-term adviser Munira Mirza. Mirza, the first of six aides to leave following the Partygate scandal, said she did not agree with Johnson’s assertion.

Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, warned of a “drift towards a Trumpian style of politics,” and encouraged the PM to withdraw his comments and say sorry. 

The family of murdered MP Jo Cox also condemned Johnson for provoking the attack. Kim Leadbeater MP, Cox’s sister, said “words have consequences,” once again referencing the prime minister’s accusations in parliament.