The London headquarters of ITN – the owners of Channel 4 News, ITV News, and Channel 5 News – were occupied on 23 August by protesters demanding the media renounce its support of vaccine passports and generally protesting the UK’s vaccine programme. More than a hundred protesters were captured in footage of the event, filmed by ITN journalists in their offices, who were separated from protesters by a glass wall. The protesters filmed back, unmasked and arguing with police officers who had arrived to dispel the crowds.
The protesters had arrived at the building after marching from King’s Cross station and were prevented from entering via the revolving doors due to the presence of two police officers. However, they gained access to the building through an emergency exit soon after, reportedly with the help of someone already inside. The protesters were then stuck within the building’s reception but were eventually cleared by police reinforcements. The crowd then later migrated to Google’s offices in Central London, but were once more met by a police presence.
Jon Snow was pursued by shouting protesters, presumably for his reporting on vaccines and vaccine passports as a Channel 4 News presenter. The protesters continued to shout once they had gained entry to the building, referencing scientifically unproven claims and attacking the promotion of vaccine passports.
This event follows similar protests, including one earlier this month aimed at BBC News. The protesters stormed West London’s Television Centre, a building that has not been in use as the BBC Headquarters since 2013. This confusion was also present in the protesters on 23 August, some of whom believed they had occupied the Daily Mail’s headquarters, rather than ITN’s.
This persistent anti-vaccine rhetoric is in the face of a generally positive response to the UK’s vaccine rollout, with one of the highest uptake rates in the world and the majority of the population having now been vaccinated.
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