Anti-vax passport protesters storm ITN studios

Protesters have stormed the London headquarters of ITN, the company which produces ITV News and Channel 4 News.

Footage broadcast to social media showed police lined up to block off the entrance to the building on Gray’s Inn Road on Monday afternoon.

Dozens of demonstrators, apparently gathered as part of a demonstration against coronavirus vaccine passports, already appeared to be inside the building’s reception area.

In one clip, a demonstrator could be heard shouting, “they’re coming for our children”, while another implored police officers to take off their face masks.

Veteran Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow was among staff who could be seen outside the building and was filmed entering the building while being shouted at by protesters.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were “responding to a demonstration at a private premises on Gray’s Inn Road, Camden, where people have unlawfully gained access to the building”.

The force said: “Officers are on scene engaging with building security and removing those who have gained entry.”

ITN said that “staff, including those working for ITV News, Channel 4 News and 5 News, have been advised to either stay in the building or stay away while the situation is being dealt with”.

Commenting on the footage of protesters shouting at staff, journalist Nadine Batchelor-Hunt said: “I love how unbothered Jon Snow is, but I hate that this keeps happening to journalists just going about their business – it’s scary and dangerous for democracy.”

Just before 3pm, demonstrators were filmed leaving the premises. One protester could be heard saying they had given ITN a list of “demands”, claiming that the company had “a week to respond or we’ll be back next week with double the numbers”.

The Met confirmed to The Independent that the protesters had left the building, and said no arrests had been made.

By 3.30pm, demonstrators had gathered outside Google’s offices at St Pancras, where police officers were guarding the entrance. One protester could be heard shouting, “you talk to the f****** Taliban, come out and talk to us”, as others complained of “censorship”.

Minutes later, the crowd began to chant, “you can stick your poison vaccines up your a***”, and “we are the 99 per cent”.

Nearly 90 million vaccine doses have now been administered in the UK, according to Public Health England data.

It comes just a fortnight after anti-vaccine protesters attempted to storm a studio at the Television Centre in west London.

However, while the White City building served as the headquarters of BBC News until 2013, the studios now housed there are used to produce programmes such as ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, while much of the complex has been converted into residential apartments.

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