Greater Manchester Police are continuing to investigate an alleged assault and other potential offences at the Chinese Consulate in Rusholme last month. No arrests have been made but a 'number of offences' have been identified after a peaceful protest appeared to turn violent.
In an update this afternoon, police said work was progressing to establish the full circumstances of what happened at the consulate on October 16 with a further appeal for video footage from anyone who may have it. They say assaults and public order offences have been recorded taking place between 2pm and 3pm on the day which left a man in his 30s with 'several minor physical injuries' after an alleged assault inside the consulate grounds.
They say no other significant injuries were reported, other than a minor injury sustained to the hand of a police officer who intervened to remove the man in his 30s from the consulate ground. However, GMP are 'actively' seeking and want to identify other potential victims of incidents that took place as the peaceful protests turned violent.
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A GMP spokesman said: "We’re continuing to investigate events outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester last month, with work ongoing by detectives to establish the full circumstances. Our team of investigators from the Major Incident Team has been gathering a range of evidence including CCTV, police body-worn video, mobile phone footage, and witness statements from as many people involved as possible to assist in capturing a rounded understanding of what happened."
They added: "We are actively seeking – and are hopeful of identifying – other potential victims of incidents that took place during the disturbance. No arrests have yet been made and enquiries will continue for as long as necessary with support from partners."
Assistant Chief Constable, Chris Sykes, also gave a statement, saying: "As we expected from the outset of this investigation, this is a complex inquiry that’s seeing our experienced detectives work diligently to ensure all avenues are being explored and pursued, to bring any identified offenders to justice for their actions that day. We’re continuing to gain a clearer understanding of the timeline of events that led to an initially peaceful protest escalating in the way it did, and this has seen us identify a number of offences and potential suspects and victims.
“This is a sensitive but, importantly, an objective investigation that will involve us working for as long as required to speak to all those concerned to achieve as many answers as we possibly can, and we will continue to provide updates where necessary in due course.”
Following the incident, the Chinese consulate, on Denison Road in Rusholme, gave the M.E.N. footage from its own CCTV cameras, saying it would also share its footage with police, and claimed two members of its staff were assaulted when a protest outside the gates turned violent. The footage was put together by the consulate from its CCTV footage, within which the red circles depict what the Chinese consulate claim is their staff being attacked. They alleged staff were shoved, then two men who were knocked to the ground were stamped on and kicked.
Anyone with footage who has not yet given it to the police can upload it to an online portal here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP22A58-PO1.
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