A Hong Kong protester was pulled into Chinese consulate grounds in Manchester on Sunday and beaten up. Unidentified men came out of the consulate and forced a man inside the compound before he escaped with the help of police and other demonstrators.
The protester told the BBC: “They dragged me inside, they beat me up.”
The UK government called the reports “extremely concerning”. The consulate says protesters displayed an insulting portrait of China’s president. The Foreign Office said it was urgently seeking clarity on the incident. Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation.
Speaking after the incident, the protester, called Bob, told BBC Chinese that people had come out of the consulate and destroyed their posters.
“As we tried to stop them, they dragged me inside, they beat me up,” he said, adding that he was then pulled out by the UK police. “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.”
After the incident, the crowd remained angry. Protesters shouted at the men from the consulate and the British police, arguing they could have done more.
Consulate staff had previously asked the protesters to move to the opposite side of the street. There were two police officers at the protest, but several more appeared within minutes of the altercation beginning. They gathered at the compound gates trying to break up the fighting and move protesters back.
One police officer entered the consulate grounds and pulled the man who had been dragged inside back out. At least eight men – some wearing helmets and protective vests – returned to the consulate building.
The consulate is on UK soil, but cannot be entered without consent. Protests outside embassies and consulates in Britain often involve a few scuffles. Police are often on hand to keep the peace.
But rarely do consular staff emerge onto the street to pull down banners and posters. And even more rarely are protesters dragged through the gates and apparently beaten up.
中共二十大开幕之际，在英港人组织周日（10月16日）下午在中国驻曼彻斯特总领事馆门外举行集会；其间，有从总领事馆走出来的人与示威者发生肢体冲突，引起英国媒体和政界关注，使事件升级至外交层面。
英国首相特拉斯（Liz Truss）发言人回应事件指，“这些报道显然令人深感忧虑”（obviously deeply concerning），“我了解到曼彻斯特警方已立即回应事件，并正作调查，因此我不宜评论”。
多名跨党派英国国会议员促请英国外交部传召中国驻英大使解释，并指将最快于周二在下议院就此提出“紧急质询”，询问政府如何回应事件。
中国外交部发言人汪文斌星期二（10月18日）在例行记者会上回答媒体提问时回应说，“滋扰分子非法进入中国驻曼彻斯特总领馆，危及中国外交官舍安全”，“中国驻外使领馆的安宁和尊严不容侵犯”。
*China Now, keep you updated on China
《现正中国》带你了解全球各大媒体关于中国的报道。
*The above media report does not represent New Zealand Review’s opinion.
以上媒体报道不代表新西兰全搜索观点。
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