On a recent Monday evening, demonstrators in London gathered around a vehicle near Downing Street, where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official residence is located.
The protesters, some holding anti-vaccination placards and chanting “Arrest Bill Gates,” temporarily blocked the road leading to Downing Street.
Gates, in the U.K. to attend a dinner hosted by Johnson, was part of a group of 20 influential business leaders invited to support British economic interests on a global scale.
Social media footage captured protesters attempting to peer into the car’s tinted windows, with police managing to escort the vehicle through an alternative entrance.
Although the occupants of the car remain unidentified, the protest grew louder as evening approached, with some participants referring to Gates as a “murderer” and rallying against COVID-19 vaccines.
Gates has frequently been the target of conspiracy theories, particularly around the pandemic and vaccine initiatives.
The dinner gathering included major corporate leaders such as David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, and Larry Fink of BlackRock.
The event was organized just before the Global Investment Summit, where Johnson and Gates spoke on the importance of private sector involvement in tackling climate change.
The event comes ahead of the upcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
Similar protests against Gates occurred in June, outside the U.K. headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, linked to broader opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccinations.
In January, Gates expressed his surprise at becoming a focal point in conspiracy narratives, including baseless claims.
The theory suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines were meant to insert microchips into recipients, a theory circulated alongside misinformation involving Dr. Anthony Fauci.
