As Britain summoned China’s deputy ambassador over the incident, four Chinese diplomats, including one of Beijing’s senior officials in the UK, were identified as being suspected of beating a pro-democracy activist.
According to information provided to the House of Commons yesterday, Zheng Xiyuan, the consul general, was a key player in the assault.
The others were identified through social media as deputy consul Fan Yingjie, counselor Chen Wei, and consul Gao Lianjia.
After displaying a satirical picture of President Xi Jinping among 40 other protesters in Manchester on Sunday, a protester was seen on camera being dragged off the street and attacked by Communist Party officials wearing riot gear.
A day later, the demonstrator, who goes by the name Bob Man, displayed beating-related injuries to his face and head.
Video of the assault shows a guy tearing down posters and seeming to pull the protester’s hair. The man has been named by MPs as Mr. Xiyuan.
The event happened as Beijing’s annual Communist Party meeting got underway.
Pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have been violently put down by China, which President Xi praised in his address as taking the territory from “chaos to governance.”
Up to 40 protestors gathered outside the embassy on Sunday in reaction, carrying signs that mocked President Xi, who is vying for an unprecedented third term in office.
But when things became heated, video shows at least five individuals, some of them in riot gear, storming the embassy gates.
Before Communist Party officials attempted to drag protesters inside the consulate’s compound, a man wearing a blue and red scarf identified by MPs as Mr. Xiyuan tore down posters. He also attacked “Bob,” a protester whose name is being withheld to protect his safety, whose hair appears to be grabbed by the consul general.
A police officer in full uniform entered the premises and saved the demonstrator before he was sent to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, risking a diplomatic issue.
Police have opened an investigation and promised to pursue “all reasonable channels” in order to hold those accountable accountable.
“Bob” told BBC Chinese later that it was “crazy” that Chinese authorities had been allowed to target him in the UK.
The guy, who emigrated from Hong Kong to Britain last year as a result of the crackdown on protests, said, “We are supposed to have freedom to speak anything we want here.”
The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, yesterday submitted an urgent Parliamentary question after the Foreign Office remained silent for over 48 hours.
She warned lawmakers that the Chinese Communist Party could not be allowed to “import their beating of protestors” and “silencing of free expression” and called the episode a “chilling escalation” of Chinese state persecution.
According to Mrs. Kearns, the consul general participated in the event by “pulling down posters.”
She ordered the expulsion of those Chinese officials responsible for the attack who could not be brought to justice “within the week.”
The Chinese charge d’affaires had been called, the Foreign Office minister Jesse Norman said, “to convey His Majesty’s Government’s grave concern at the occurrence and to seek an explanation for the conduct of the consulate officials.”
He said that everyone on British land has the right to express their opinions in a peaceful manner without fear of retaliation. He called nonviolent protest “a basic component of British culture and of our way of life.” But he maintained that the police inquiry must first be completed as a demonstration of Britain’s respect for the law.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, leader of the Tories, urged the Government to oust consular employees if they are found to be accountable for “that punitive beating” and said that politicians looked to be “dancing away” from the problem.
Sections of what Mr. Duncan Smith claimed to be “Bob’s” police statement concerning the event were read aloud to the MPs.
According to him, the protester “categorically affirms” that he was brought in by the gate guards, who also battered and tore off his hands and hair.
The Chingford and Woodford Green MP also said that “Bob” claimed “at least four individuals are kicking me and at least for one minute pulling my hair.” He has long been a vocal opponent of Chinese meddling in the UK.
Mr. Duncan Smith read, “My head, face, arm, body, and back are pained, particularly my back, which is exceedingly uncomfortable and makes it difficult for me to sit down.”
Afzal Khan, a Labour MP whose Manchester Gorton the consulate is located in, expressed his “sickness” that such an incident might occur there.
He later expressed his shock at the minister’s answer and said that the government “must at the very least” designate the Chinese Consul General to be persona non grata.
However, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry offered an entirely different version of the event while speaking in Beijing, asserting that its diplomatic missions overseas had the right to “take appropriate actions” to safeguard security.
Wang Wenbin said that “the troublemakers” had unlawfully entered the Chinese Consulate-General in Manchester, jeopardizing the building’s security.
In his appeal, he encouraged the UK to “honestly fulfill its obligations and take appropriate steps to boost up security of the facilities and people of the Chinese embassy and consulates.”
Although foreign diplomatic and consular facilities are still deemed to be on UK soil, they are regarded as “inviolable” according to the Vienna Convention and cannot be accessed without the consent of the ambassador or head of mission.
But according to official guidance given to British police units, “each case must be handled on its own merits.”
Officers are instructed that their “overriding responsibility” is to “guard the welfare and safety of the public,” and that even if a suspect is thought to be protected by diplomatic immunity, action may still be taken if someone is in danger.
According to guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service, a location is only considered consular if it is utilized as such, hence the courtyard of the consulate may not be protected.
It further states that, unless someone has diplomatic immunity, offenses committed on diplomatic property will be tried under English law.
Greater Manchester Police said on Monday that when “a small number of males came out of the building and a guy was taken into the embassy grounds and beaten,” police had been assisting the “peaceful” demonstration.
In a statement, it added that “because of our concerns about the man’s safety, police intervened and removed the victim off the consular premises.”
All practical means would be pursued, said Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, “to bring to justice anybody we feel is guilty.”
Since it is believed that ambassador Zheng Zeguang is traveling outside of the nation, the charge d’affaires is the second-ranking Chinese diplomat in the UK.
The Manchester consulate’s website states that one of its goals is to “encourage the friendly interactions between the Chinese people and the British people.”
It also states that it hopes to “provide as a window into China and the ties between the two nations.”
The consulate’s duties include granting visas and other travel papers, fostering commercial relationships, offering consular services to Chinese individuals, and connecting with the Chinese community in Britain.