Right to peaceful protest must be respected, British government tells China after Hong Kong protest turns violent
- Diplomat summoned to explain incident outside Chinese consulate in Manchester on Sunday
- Britain’s foreign office has ‘serious concerns about the footage’ showing violence at demonstration
The British government has told a senior Chinese official the right to peaceful protest “must be respected” in the United Kingdom after he was summoned for a meeting following a demonstration outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester over the weekend.
Britain’s foreign office on Tuesday said it had “serious concerns” after a video emerged that appeared to show a brawl between protesters and consulate staff during a demonstration by Hong Kong independence activists on Sunday.
“Today we have made our view clear to the Chinese authorities: the right to peaceful protest in the UK must be respected,” said Foreign Office minister Lord Zac Goldsmith.
China’s ambassador to Britain is currently out of the country, so China’s charge d’affaires Yang Xiaoguang, the second-most senior diplomat, was summoned to explain the incident.
Yang met foreign office official Dan Chugg, who reiterated that all diplomats and consular staff based in the country must respect its laws and regulations.
An investigation by Greater Manchester Police is ongoing.
Earlier on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman said “troublemakers illegally entered the Chinese consulate in Manchester, endangering the security of the premises,” and called on Britain to increase protection for diplomatic staff.
Beijing says ‘troublemakers’ illegally entered its consulate in Manchester
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declined to say whether China’s consul general in Manchester, Zheng Xiyuan, was involved in the incident.
According to the Manchester police, about 30 to 40 people gathered outside the Chinese consulate on Sunday. Clips circulating online show different people involved in clashes outside and on the grounds of the consulate, with one man who identified himself as a Hongkonger saying he was dragged into the compound and beaten.
According to footage, protesters had earlier set up signs outside the consulate featuring slogans with foul language directed at the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s twice-in-a-decade congress in Beijing.
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Protesters and staff brawl outside Chinese consulate in northern UK city of Manchester
Video posted online showed a brawl erupting as a grey-haired man in a blue scarf, who appeared to have come out of the consulate, went to tear down one of the banners before going back inside.
Police said the victim was dragged onto consulate grounds and assaulted by a small group of men who came out of the building. Their officers had decided to intervene and remove him from the compound over fears for his safety.
The man, who is in his 30s, suffered several injuries and remained in hospital overnight for treatment, the force said.
A separate online video showed a consulate staff member being pinned down on the ground and kicked by a group of people who hurled insults at him in Cantonese. He was later seen entering the grounds of the consulate.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Jesse Norman, the British minister of state, said the government was “extremely concerned” at the “apparent scenes of violence” in Manchester.
Several members of parliament raised questions regarding the incident and called on the government to prosecute or expel any diplomats found to have been involved in the incident.
Asked whether Chinese officials involved in the incident would be prosecuted or expelled from the UK, Norman said: “It is up to our independent police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide first on the facts of the matter, and then on whether prosecution should be brought.”
Sunday’s protest was organised by a pro-Hong Kong independence group in Britain, the Hong Kong Indigenous Defence Force, which had meant to “surround” the consulate to voice opposition to the Beijing government and the opening of the 20th party congress, according to a Facebook post from the group last week.
