Does this constitute assault? Should the people in the vid face charges?

It is assault but it is [i]not[/i] "political".

Irrespective of the assailants' motive or their other actions that day there is no such thing as a "political assault" even if against a politician. Besides which, Dr. Whitty is not a politician.

I hope the site that hosted the assailants' video had the courage to delete it as soon as possible - if I was in charge of such services I would go futher and delete their accounts completely.

I did not and will not view its repeat on here and I call on SW's moderator to delete it.

Yes it’s assault, Chris witty did not press charges against these two men, but it is clearly an act of assault. He’s the chief medical officer for England and these two idiots thought that justified them grabbing him and filming him. It’s disgusting

Yes it does constitute assault. What is more, it's going to court. Prof. Whitty - not the kind of man to make a fuss - dismissed it as 'schoolboy behaviour'. But the law is not so lenient.

[quote]Common assault is when a person inflicts violence on someone else or makes them think they are going to be attacked. It does not have to involve physical violence. Threatening words or a raised fist is enough for the crime to have been committed provided the victim thinks that they are about to be attacked. Spitting at someone is another example.[/quote]

From

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/outlines/assault/

Also

[quote]An offence committed against a person working in a public-facing role is an aggravating factor that should be highlighted in Court to assist at sentence[/quote]

From https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offences-against-person-incorporating-charging-standard

I leave others to research and consider but my opinion is that it clearly is assault by the above legal definition and Prof Whitty is a public figure hence that should be considered in sentencing.

It's assault as well as battery.

Anyone who is physically touched by another without consent is being victimized.

Is this the worst case of assault & battery on record? Hardly. But accountability doesn't come in degrees.