A senior Chinese diplomat in the UK was involved in violence against pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters at the Manchester consulate on Sunday, a British MP has said.
Senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns – chair of the foreign affairs select committee – said Beijing’s consul-general Zheng Xiyuan was seen “ripping down the posters” before peaceful protesters were attacked.
Calling the attack a “chilling escalation” of China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests on British soil, Ms Kearns said some protesters were dragged into the consulate and beaten by officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“What we saw was the Chinese consul-general then ripping down posters and peaceful protest,” Ms Kearns said in the House of Commons.
She said after Mr Zheng ripped down the placards, there was “grievous bodily harm against a Hongkonger, one of whom was hospitalised for taking part in a peaceful protest”.
“Some were then dragged onto consulate territory for a further beating by officials who have been recognised to be members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“We cannot allow the CCP to import their beating of protesters, their silencing of free speech and their failure to allow time and time again protests on British soil. This is a chilling escalation,” she said.
Manchester police are investigating the violence that took place in front of the Chinese consulate, an incident that is on the verge of escalating into a full-blown diplomatic row between the two countries.
Footage of the incident showed a Chinese official kicking down a poster and pulling the hair of a protester as he entered the gates of the consulate. A protester was dragged into the ground of the consulate and beaten.
UK police are not normally allowed to enter consulate grounds without permission. The properties fall under UK law, but staff who work there may have diplomatic immunity.
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly said he summoned the Chinese charge d’affaires, calling the incident “unacceptable” and said the protests were on British soil and “legal”, countering the Chinese foreign ministry’s comments challenging the Manchester police account.
“We said this is absolutely unacceptable, that the protests were peaceful and legal. They were on British soil and it is absolutely unacceptable for this kind of behaviour,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.
The Chinese foreign ministry has not commented on the alleged involvement of Mr Zheng. However, its spokesperson defended the actions of its staff, saying protesters illegally entered the grounds.
“Disturbing elements illegally entered the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester and endangered the security of Chinese diplomatic premises,” Wang Wenbin, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters on Tuesday.
Mr Cleverly said the summoning of the Chinese ambassador’s deputy was “to demand an explanation for the shocking scenes outside the Chinese consulate-general in Manchester on Sunday”.
“Peaceful protest is a fundamental right in Great Britain and the Chinese government must respect that.”
Manchester police will share the findings of the investigation with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office which will then decide whether to take the extraordinary decision of suspending the Chinese diplomats.
According to police, some 30-40 people had gathered outside the consulate to protest.
“Shortly before 4pm a small group of men came out of the building and a man was dragged into the consulate grounds and assaulted,” the statement read.
“Due to our fears for the safety of the man, officers intervened and removed the victim from the consulate grounds.”
