Hundreds of fans flocked to Birmingham’s Bull Ring shopping centre to meet a YouTube star yesterday – ignoring social distancing rules.
Fans and bloggers came together to meet prankster Canking, 17, at his ‘Covid fi dead’ event, flooding Birmingham city centre.
The presence of the large group forced the nearby Primark store, the largest in the world, to close an hour early.
Canking, real name Jayden Gray, was spotted in the middle of the huge crowd, with hundreds of people following him around on Sunday.
The prankster, who has amassed nearly 270,000 subscribers on YouTube, is known for videos where he asks people questions on the street, offers them money and even challenges them to punch him in the face.
Ireland-born YouTube star Canking bought Birmingham City Centre to a stand still yesterday after organising a meet and greet event
The prankster, who has amassed nearly 270,000 subscribers on YouTube, is known for videos where he asks people questions on the street, offers them money and even challenges them to punch him in the face
YouTube star Canking, real name Jayden Gray, aged 17, was the event’s star attraction, with hundreds of fans following him around
Canking was seen greeting fans and sharing fist bumps, with screaming girls reportedly following him during the event
The event took place at 2pm yesterday, after the invited several other social media stars to attend his meet and greet.
Canking was seen greeting fans and sharing fist bumps, with screaming girls reportedly following him.
The YouTube personality was born and raised in Ireland before moving to England when he was 10 years old.
He launched his YouTube channel in January 2012 and has built up a large following online since.
His most popular videos, with more than a million views, see him offering £100 to people who can sing songs word for word.
Under current social distancing guidelines, gatherings of more than six people from different households are banned.
However, hundreds of fans gathered, with the majority of the mostly young crowd not appearing to wear masks as they mingled in the city centre.
Superintendent Gareth Morris, of West Midlands Police, wrote on Twitter: ‘Numbers of groups in the city centre appear to be a result of some internet bloggers attending the city and young fans turning up hoping to see them.
‘Officers in attendance and hopefully starting to resolve now.’
A witness said: ‘They were following someone…young guy I am guessing well known maybe singer but not sure.
‘There were young girls screaming. Primark and a few other shops had to close due to massive groups trying to enter.’
A spokesperson for Bullring & Grand Central said: ‘The safety of our shoppers, colleagues and retailers is our foremost concern and we urge all visitors to follow social distancing guidelines.’
Hundreds of fans gathered, with the majority of the mostly young crowd not appearing to wear masks as they mingled in the city centre
Under current social distancing guidelines, gatherings of more than six people from different households are banned
Huge crowds turned out to greet the star. One witness said: ‘There were young girls screaming. Primark and a few other shops had to close due to massive groups trying to enter’
Canking launched his YouTube channel in January 2012 and has built up a large following online since – attracting hundreds to the Birmingham event
It comes after police forces across Britain were forced to crack down on lockdown parties and illegal raves after violence erupted in London last week.
A massive block party took place in West Kilburn on Friday before moving to Maida Vale where riot police with shields and truncheons battled hundreds of revellers who threw missiles at them.
It marked the third night of unrest after raves Brixton and Notting Hill which both turned violent and led to police injuries.
Many senior figures – including Home Secretary Priti Patel and former Met Police commissioner Lord Ian Blair – condemned the violence seen against police in recent weeks.
The Met have pledged to put around 1,000 riot-trained officers on standby and more than 80 police vans on the streets of London today ahead of predicted clashes this weekend.
Following unrest in Exmouth this week – including a mass brawl involving up to 200 people – Devon and Cornwall police have put together a dispersal notice to ensure those likely to cause trouble can be moved along.
In Cheshire, police vowed to crack down on a planned rave in Knutsford over the weekend while in Staffordshire, officers warned potential revellers to ‘pause and think’.
A dispersal order was put in place in Liverpool after rowdy football fans set fire to the Liver Building as celebrations for Liverpool’s league win went on for a second night.