Bob Moran, The Telegraph’s cartoonist, has got into a messy Twitter row with an NHS doctor over his anti-Covid vaccine stance.
On Monday, Dr Rachel Clarke revealed she had been verbally abused in public for wearing a mask – only for Moran to reportedly “openly abuse” her in response.
His original tweet aimed at Clarke had to be removed by the social media platform because it “violated the Twitter rules”.
Moran is believed to have replied encouraging further verbal abuse against Clarke for “the rest of her worthless existence” according to a screenshot caught by journalist Otto English.
Moran also reportedly added that anyone who disagreed with him does not “fully understand what people like her [Clarke] have actually done”.
Clarke then replied: “Why do you employ a man who openly abuses NHS staff @telegraph? This is targeted harassment and you appear to condone it.”
Moran tweeted back: “Why do you employ a woman who promotes disgusting ideologies, without moral or scientific justification, which lead to the death of children @NHSEngland?
“This is pure, unspeakable evil and you appear to condone it.”
Clarke took matters into her own hands and asked the Twitter community to “crowdfund legal action against him” as the cartoonist “openly defamed me, an NHS palliative care doctor, as well as incited hate and abuse”.
Her tweet gained more than 10,000 likes in four hours and received support from LBC broadcaster James O’Brien.
The British Medical Association (BMA) also joined in, and tweeted: “This is appalling to hear Rachel – this is completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated; there should be consequences for abusing NHS staff like this.”
Moran’s name also started trending at number 12 on UK Twitter as others joined in with the debate.
This is not the first time Moran has expressed his anti-Covid vaccine stance.
He previously claimed that the UK has had an “immoral, totalitarian reaction” to the virus and has accused people who have been vaccinated of being “dangerously misguided”.
He called the UK’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty “one of the most dangerous people alive”.
On September 19, he tweeted: “I am unashamedly anti all Covid-19 vaccines for anyone in society. I have never been against vaccines previously. However, I no longer trust the pharmaceutical industry, the advisory committees or the health service. So no more vaccines of any kind for me or my children. Ever.
“And to be clear, I am not just against the Covid-19 vaccines because I think they are dangerous & useless. I think the fact that they were created at all is ethically disgusting. Even if they WERE safe and effective, their creation would remain an unforgivable waste of money.”
According to a report from Press Gazette, The Telegraph is expected to suspend Moran after his tweets.
HuffPost UK has approached The Telegraph for comment.