England’s medical director Chris Whitty, who was verbally assaulted on the street and called a liar, showed a video sent to TikTok on Tuesday.
In the video, a young man can be seen repeatedly telling Whitty that he is a liar.
The TikTok account that posted the video has been deleted.
Whitty has been at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic as a consultant to the UK government and appears regularly at press conferences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock condemned the video and told BBC Breakfast: “I think the individual in question is pathetic. I think what he’s doing is ridiculous. “
Hancock praised Whitty, saying, “Chris Whitty is one of the greatest scientists alive and his advice to the government, throughout the process, and his advice to all of us in the population has been incredibly, incredibly smart and thoughtful and he is a great asset to this nation. “
Matt Vickers, a conservative MP for Stockton South, also criticized the video via Twitter.
“This is terrible, I really can’t believe this footage,” wrote Vickers. “Chris Whitty is doing everything he can to help guide us through this crisis and should never be subjected to this abuse.”
The UK Department of Health told CNN that it is “concerned that the more these videos circulate, the more they can encourage others to do the same thing”.