Sheffield councillor ‘harassed’ in Greggs by anti-mask protestors after ‘polite’ question

Ben Miskell, Labour councillor for Park and Arbourthorne, claimed Covid-19 ‘really does bring out the worst in some people’ as he shared what happened to him yesterday, Wednesday, October 14.

“Sheffield city centre really doesn’t need anti-mask conspiracy theorists. Whilst in Greggs on Fargate I politely asked two men whether they had masks. After an unpleasant outburst about their rights, I was followed outside, harassed & live streamed,” he said.

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"I explained that the two men filming me needed to keep their social distance and politely explained that the pandemic does exist. Thankfully a lovely security guard from M&S saw what was happening and gestured to come into the store. Covid really does bring out the worst in some people.”

Around 100 protesters led by Piers Corbyn gathered outside Sheffield Town Hall on Wednesday to demonstrate against the new Tier 2 lockdown restrictions which came into effect in Sheffield that day.

Mr Corbyn, who was arrested at a similar demonstration last month, told those gathered that coronavirus was a ‘hoax from start to finish’.

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Former Sheffield councillor Pat Midgley died of coronavirus in March, aged 82, and her daughter Joanna Midgley voiced her anger at the protest.

In a tweet addressed to Mr Corbyn, she said: “My wonderful mum represented the people of Sheffield from that town hall for 33 years. She died of Covid - Covid killed her #NotaHoax. Your behaviour is completely irresponsible and puts others at risk.”

Sheffield has the eighth highest weekly coronavirus infection rate in England, with 458.2 new cases per 100,000 people during the seven days to October 10 – up from 347.8 in the previous week.

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More than 300 people have died with Covid-19 in the city’s hospitals since the pandemic began, with another three deaths announced on Wednesday.

Under Tier 2 restrictions, different households within the city are banned from meeting indoors.

The city’s director of public health, Greg Fell, has said it is a matter of ‘when, not if’ the city is placed into Tier 3 lockdown, meaning pubs and bars not serving food would have to close.