The British government summoned a senior Chinese diplomat in Britain on Tuesday to express “deep concern” after a pro-democracy activist protesting outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester was beaten.
“The Foreign Minister has summoned the Chinese charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in London to express the government’s deep concern over the incident and to demand an explanation for the actions of the consular staff,” the Foreign Minister announced. Affairs, Jesse Norman, before Parliament.
The aggression took place in the city in the north of England on Sunday, the opening day of the Communist Party congress in Beijing, which will grant President Xi Jinping a third term.
A group of people protest in front of the Chinese consulate to defend democratic rights in Hong Kong.
One of them, identified as Bob, later convinced the BBC that he was beaten by people leaving the diplomatic mission.
“They put me in, they beat me,” he said.
A video of the attack, which went viral on social networks, shows a group of men beating another lying on the ground behind the consulate fence, inside the compound.
Earlier, according to the image, the group of men had destroyed the banners of protesters in the street.
British police have opened an investigation into what happened.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing on Tuesday that protesters had “illegally entered” its consulate in Manchester.
The spokesman also urged Britain to “seriously carry out its duties and take effective steps to enhance the protection of Chinese embassies and consulates and staff.”
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