Protest banners and flags calling for Hong Kong independence were raised outside the consulate. One of the posters was a picture of Xi standing in front of a mirror wearing nothing but a tiara and a pair of boxers – a play on the tale of the emperor’s new clothes.
When a protester began speaking, staff in riot gear walked out of the consulate and attempted to confiscate the protesters’ poster, according to a statement from the group. One protester was only identified by the group as Bob was raising the plate when he was dragged into the Consulate, where he was beaten by a group of men.
Jimmy Chin, a 19-year-old who was at the rally, said he saw the protester enter through a gate into the consulate where he was attacked for about 30 seconds before a British police officer intervened and dragged him outside.
“The event was quiet until several people in bulletproof vests came out of the consulate and started tearing down the posters,” he said. Some protesters tried to stop them and pushed back, and they ended up fighting.”
Video captured at the scene showed the men punching the protester and holding him to the ground. According to the rally organisers, After the British police stopped the attack And they set up a cordon between the demonstrators and the consulate employees.
The organization said that the injured protester was taken to the hospital and his condition is stable. The Chinese consulate in Manchester confirmed the incident to The Washington Post, but declined to comment further. The Chinese embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.
“Had the UK police not intervened today, or if the rally had been held in Hong Kong or China, I fear that peaceful protesters like us would have already vanished,” the protester said, according to the group’s statement.
On Monday, several British members of Parliament He called on the authorities to investigate the incident. Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called for the Chinese ambassador to be recalled and any consular member involved in the beatings expelled from the country. Former Conservative Party leader Ian Duncan Smith has demanded a full apology from the Chinese ambassador.
.Tweet embed & Tweet embed Need to investigate urgently.
The Chinese Communist Party will not import beating protesters and depriving them of freedom of expression into British streets.
The Chinese ambassador should be summoned, and if any official beats protesters, they should be expelled or prosecuted. https://t.co/q7Nh55k8fG
– Alicia Kearns MP for Rutland and Milton (@aliciakearns) October 16 2022
Xi, who is expected to secure a third term at the party congress that began on Sunday, has overseen a brutal crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement that culminated in a far-reaching rally. National Security Law which severely curtailed the active democratic movement in the city.
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