A protester was dragged to Chinese grounds and beaten at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, England, for protesting the Chinese Communist Party meeting on Sunday.
Videos of the scene showed a man in a black cap and ponytail being hauled through a gate into the consular grounds, where he was attacked by five men while pinned to the ground. The Greater Manchester Police said they intervened and pulled the man back to safety. An investigation into the attack is underway, the police said Monday.
Shocking video spreading on HK Telegram channels showing someone from the PRC Consulate in Manchester kicking down pro-democracy signs.
A protestor then appears to have been dragged behind the Consulate gates and beaten by consulate staff. pic.twitter.com/tntvTz38DY
— Luke M (@McWLuke) October 16, 2022
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“It is clear [that] what began as a peaceful protest unexpectedly escalated and our officers acted professionally in response to a hostile and dynamic situation to help the victim and ensure he didn’t come to any further harm,” Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said in a statement. “A full and comprehensive investigation is underway by our experienced Major Incident Team detectives, and I can assure the public that all viable avenues will be explored to bring to justice anyone we believe is culpable for the scenes we saw outside the Chinese Consulate.”
The Hong Kong Indigenous Defense Force, which organized the rally to coincide with the opening of the twice-a-decade meeting, said the injured man, identified as Bob, was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to the Washington Post.
The group was protesting the third unprecedented five-year term by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is expected to be announced during the weeklong meeting. Jinping has been responsible for multiple human rights violations in China, including the mistreatment of Uyghurs, a Muslim and Turkish ethnic group that lives in China.
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No arrests have been made in relation to the incident so far, but British lawmakers have called for the expulsion of the consulate staff members involved in the attack.
