A struck-off nurse has been heavily criticised for comparing NHS staff to Nazis during an anti-vaccine rally in Central London.
Infamous anti-vaxxer Kate Shemirani compared staff to doctors in Nazi Germany who were hung for their crimes.
The mother of four made the awful speech at a protest against the coronavirus vaccine at Trafalgar Square yesterday (Saturday, July 24), reports the Mirror.
The speech was recorded and has now been viewed more than 2.6 million times on Twitter since it was uploaded.
NHS doctor Samantha Batt-Rawden, who shared the clip, said she was close to tears after seeing the footage.
A struck-off nurse has been heavily criticised for comparing NHS staff to Nazis during an anti-vaccine rally in Central London.
Infamous anti-vaxxer Kate Shemirani compared staff to doctors in Nazi Germany who were hung for their crimes.
The mother of four made the awful speech at a protest against the coronavirus vaccine at Trafalgar Square yesterday (Saturday, July 24), reports the Mirror.
The speech was recorded and has now been viewed more than 2.6 million times on Twitter since it was uploaded.
NHS doctor Samantha Batt-Rawden, who shared the clip, said she was close to tears after seeing the footage.
“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.”
She can be seen standing with her hand in the air, while some of the crowd cheers and she adds: “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.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was one of many left stunned by the video and he took to Twitter to speak out against the video.
He said: “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.”
NHS Million also retweeted Dr Batt-Rawden’s post and added: “This is what NHS staff woke up to this morning.
“A rally talking about hanging doctors and nurses. This has caused considerable distress amongst NHS staff.
“If you’re still behind NHS staff please tweet with the hashtag #gotyourbackNHS . Let’s show staff they are appreciated.”
They also tweeted the Met Police to ask if the speech was inciting hatred.
A Met Police spokesman told the Mirror: “We are aware of the video circulating on social media and can confirm no arrests have been made.”
Ms Shemirani was banned from practising as a nurse under an 18-month interim suspension, imposed last July.
But in June the Nursing and Midwifery Council Fitness to Practise Committee issued her with a permanent striking-off order, under which she cannot practise as a registered nurse for at least another five years.
The panel found Ms Shemirani “attempted to encourage people to act contrary to public health guidance issued by the UK government by spreading this information through social media platforms and at public events”.
It added the former nurse’s repeated intention to act in a “deeply offensive [manner] to the nursing and medical professions, by using inflammatory and derogatory language to describe other nursing and healthcare professionals”.
