- George Bowden, Tessa Wong
- BBC News
A protester who was taken to the Chinese consulate premises on the 16th (local time) while calling for democracy in Hong Kong in Manchester, England, said he had never tried to break into the consulate during the protests.
The protester, named Bob Chan, said at a press conference that he was taken to the consulate and beaten by men, resulting in injuries that required hospitalization.
Prior to the press conference, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alicia Keens accused Manchester’s consul general of being involved in the incident.
However, Chinese Consul General Zheng Xiyuan denied the allegations.
Amid growing tensions between Britain and China, China is claiming that protesters attempted to illegally break into the consulate.
At a press conference led by British lawmakers, Chan, a Hong Kong national, mentioned that the incident on the 16th had hurt him physically and mentally.
He said he had been beaten by masked men outside the consulate, some of whom tried to damage protest banners held by protesters.
“At some point, I was being dragged towards the consulate by these men,” said Chan. “I held on to the door, but I got kicked and punched. So I mightn’t stand it any longer.”
“I was eventually dragged to the premises of the consulate. I kept getting kicked and punched. Other protesters tried to save me, but to no avail.”
“The attack stopped when a local Manchester policeman pulled me out the door.”
“I want to make it clear here once once more. I was taken to the consulate and never tried to break into it.” Meanwhile, Manchester Police said up to 40 demonstrators were gathered outside the consulate at the time.
The consulate is located in the UK, but cannot be entered without the consent of the consulate.
According to Manchester Police, around 4 p.m. local time, a group of men “was coming out of the consulate building and a protester was dragged into the consulate premises and assaulted”.
“The man’s safety was concerned, so officers intervened and pulled the man from the consulate premises,” the police said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Chan said he was still in shock following the incident, adding that he was concerned regarding the family still in Hong Kong.
“I never thought this would happen in England. (But) Britain still believes in a place where freedom of speech and demonstration is a fundamental human right.”
“It will not change with any violence or diplomatic pressure,” Chan said.
At the time, protesters, mostly Hong Kongers, were protesting once morest the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which is currently underway in the capital, Beijing.
Meanwhile, in an interview with British ‘Sky News’ on the followingnoon of the 19th, Consul-General Chung admitted that he was at the protest site, but denied that consular staff, including himself, had ever attacked the protesters.
“No one has been beaten,” said Consul-General Jeong, claiming, “I never ordered people to be beaten.
However, the video of the scene showed Consul-General Jeong pulling the hair of a protester.
When asked regarding this, Consul General Chung said that he was trying to protect the workers who were being threatened, adding that “the protester (Bab Chan) was insulting my country and my leader. So I think I did what I had to do.”
A spokesperson for the consulate also criticized the protesters for “posting an insulting picture to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the front door.”
Chinese authorities also “protested” to the British government to strengthen protections for its diplomats, saying that its consulate staff were being harassed and that protesters tried to enter the consulate without permission.
Meanwhile, former Conservative Party leader Ian Duncan Smith raised his voice, saying the British government’s diplomatic response to the incident was insufficient.
Smith said the government’s response was “totally insufficient” and that “the government seems to have been (even) a bit kind.”
He also said that in order to properly respond to this situation, Deputy Foreign Minister Jassi Norman must be “brought and put up” on the podium in the House of Representatives.
In the followingmath of this incident, he met with a diplomatic official from the Chinese side, but in the end it was only a “light rebuke”.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “This is an absolutely unacceptable incident.” “The protests were continuing legally and peacefully. The protesters were on British soil, and this behavior is absolutely unacceptable.”
In an interview with Sky News, Cleverly said: “Manchester Police Department will investigate the incident and determine what further action can be taken as the details become available.”
Meanwhile, through a new visa program introduced by the British government last year, regarding 70% of Hong Kongers can apply for a visa to live and work or study in the UK for five years, and then apply for permanent residency.
With the enactment of the national security law amid controversy and the growing influence of mainland China, more than 100,000 Hong Kong residents have entered the UK through the visa program to date.
Events that might affect UK-China relations
Analysis: Caroline Holly, BBC Foreign Correspondent
After the rare incident that took place on the 16th at the Chinese consulate in Manchester, British politicians from all parties have called on the government to take a much tougher stance toward China.
First, Rep. Afzal Khan, a former Labor Party member, denounced the case as “out of bounds”.
Smith, a former Conservative party leader, also said the incident revealed just how influential the country might be, saying the British government is being overly cautious, fearing that China, which wields such powerful economic influence, might provoke a “head-to-head” response. did.
At the same time, Khan and former President Smith both agreed that they should be deported from the UK, even if they might not be prosecuted because the incident took place on Chinese territory.
Meanwhile, the Manchester Police Department said it was a “complex and sensitive investigation” and is currently examining all CCTV, cell phones, and police body cams.
Clearly, this case is bound to be sensitive. In particular, it might affect relations between the UK and China.
Police officials said the investigation would “take time”, but many lawmakers are calling for a quick and powerful message to the Chinese side as soon as the diplomats involved are identified.