On Sunday (October 16), a pro-democracy protestor from Hong Kong was dragged and beaten into the Chinese consulate in Manchester.
In a conversation with BBC, the demonstrator said, “they dragged me inside, they beat me up.” A BBC reporter on the site filmed the incident when unidentified men dragged the protester before he escaped with the help of police and other demonstrators on the site.
However, when asked, a spokesperson for the consulate claimed that the protesters put up a disrespectful image of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The protest was held as the Communist Party congress began in China. He added, “This would be intolerable and unacceptable for any diplomatic and consular missions of any country. Therefore, we condemn this deplorable act with strong indignation and firm opposition.”
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The protester further added that people from mainland China destroyed their posters. He said, “It’s ridiculous. They shouldn’t have done that. We are supposed to have the freedom to say whatever we want here [in the UK],” BBC reported.
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Following the incident, the consulate cannot be entered without consent. Earlier there were two police officers at the site of the protest, which was later increased after the fight broke out and the man was dragged. Additionally, eight men wearing a helmet and protective vests came to the consulate.
Reacting to the incident, former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said that the government should demand an apology from the Chinese ambassador and said that the ones responsible back to China.
An investigation into the incident has been started by the Manchester police.
(With inputs from agencies)
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