An English medical chief, Chris Whitty, was verbally abused in the street and called a liar, a video uploaded to TikTok on Tuesday showed.
In the video, a young man can repeatedly tell Whitty that he is a liar.
The TikTok account that posted the video has since been removed.
Whitty was at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic as an adviser to the British government, appearing regularly at press conferences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Health Minister Matt Hancock condemned the video and told BBC Breakfast: ‘I think the person involved is pathetic. I think it’s ridiculous what he does. ”
Hancock praised Whitty, saying: ‘Chris Whitty is one of the greatest living scientists and his advice to the government, throughout it, and his advice to all of us in the population has been incredible, incredibly smart and considerate and he is a great asset for this nation. ”
Matt Vickers, Conservative MP for Stockton South, also criticized the video via Twitter.
“It’s horrible, I really can not believe this footage,” Vickers wrote. “Chris Whitty is doing everything he can to lead us through this crisis and should never be subjected to this abuse.”
The UK Department of Health told CNN that they were “concerned that the more these videos circulate, the more it can encourage others to do the same.”