Protester on Chinese Consulate Incident in Manchester: I Was Dragged In and Beaten

The Hong Kong resident who was involved in the Chinese Consulate in Manchester incident held his first public press conference on Oct. 19, 2022. Ben Stansall/AFP

The alleged beating of a Hong Kong resident in the UK by the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England, on Oct. 16 has sparked international condemnation. The Hong Kong resident who was involved in the incident made his first public statements on Oct. 19. He said at a news conference that he was dragged into the Chinese consulate and beaten by several men, causing him to be hospitalized with injuries.

On Oct. 16, the day of the 20th national congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Hong Kong residents in the UK held a protest outside the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester to protest against the CCP and its leader Xi Jinping. Videos circulating on social media showed a man wearing a black hat and ponytail being dragged through a gate into the Chinese consulate in Manchester, where he was attacked by five men as he lay on the ground.

Protesters displayed banners reading “Heaven Will Destroy the CCP” outside the Chinese consulate.

According to comprehensive media reports, Bob Chan, a 30-year-old man from Hong Kong who was beaten, said at a news conference on Oct. 19 that the attack began when men wearing masks came out of the consulate and snatched the banner from peaceful protesters.

The news conference was organized by several British MPs, and Chan from Hong Kong said the incident had left him physically and mentally injured.

Protester Dragged Into Chinese Consulate and Beaten, Causing Injuries

Chan described being first beaten by men wearing masks outside the consulate, some of whom he said tried to tear down banners displayed by protesters.

“Then I found myself being dragged into the grounds of the [CCP] consulate. I held onto the gates, where I was kicked and punched, and I could not hold on for long,” he said.

“I was eventually pulled onto the ground of the consulate. I felt punches and kicks from several men. Other protesters were trying to get me out of this situation, but to no avail,” Mr. Chan said of the situation.

“The attack only stopped when a man who turned out to be a uniformed officer from the Greater Manchester Police pulled me outside the gates,” he said.

“Let me say it again, so I am clear: I was dragged into the consulate, I did not attempt to enter the consulate,” Mr. Chan stressed.

Greater Manchester Police said as many as 40 protesters had gathered outside the consulate when a group of men “came out of the building, and a man was dragged into the consulate and attacked” around 16:00 BST.

“Due to our concerns for the man’s safety, officers intervened and removed the victim from the consulate grounds,” a police statement said.

‘Never Thought Something Such as This Would Happen in the UK’

Mr. Chan told reporters at a news conference that he had bruises on his eyes, head, neck, and back. “I am shocked and wounded by this unprovoked attack,” he said, adding that he feared for his own safety and that of his family.

“I was shocked because I never thought something like this would happen in the UK. I still believe that the UK is a place where free speech and protest are fundamental human rights. Violence or diplomatic pressure can never change that,” said Chan.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier on Oct. 19 that the incident was “absolutely unacceptable, and that the protests were peaceful and legal. They were on British soil, and it is unacceptable for this kind of behavior.”

City police said they were investigating and called for more footage of the incident, and said no arrests had been made.

James said the UK would decide “what more we might need to do” once the police investigation is completed.

A spokesman for the Chinese consulate said protesters “hung an insulting portrait of the Chinese president at the main entrance.”. Beijing later claimed that its consulate staff had been harassed and said there were attempts to enter the consulate.

Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the British Conservative Party, and Bob Chan, the Hongkonger who was dragged into the Chinese Consulate, at a press conference on Oct. 19, 2022. Ben Stansall/AFP

British MPs Name Four Chinese Diplomats Involved in Attack

Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said the British government should tell the Chinese ambassador that Britain is expelling a range of people.

He said the video showed the consul general’s statement to be “complete nonsense.”

Videos posted online showed a white-haired man wearing a medical mask, believed to be China’s Consul General, Zheng Xiyuan, who kicked over protesters’ posters and pulled Chan’s hair outside the consulate.

Chan sat next to Duncan Smith, who criticized the British government’s response to the incident as “completely inadequate,” saying the Chinese diplomats involved in the attack, including Zheng (Xiyuan), should be expelled immediately. Chan said he supports calls to expel Chinese diplomats.

At the news conference, previous Liberal Democrat MP, Lord David Alton, reiterated his claim in the House of Lords that three other Chinese diplomats involved in the attack, as well as Zheng, should be expelled immediately. Chan said he supports calls to expel the Chinese diplomats.

Lord Alton said: “The consular general was photographed the day before this happened at the pagoda in Liverpool. He showed a remarkable resemblance to the man [filmed in the assault]. There were three other officials I named in the house last night. ”

“So: consul general Zheng Xiyuan, consul Gao Lianjia, counsellor Chen Wei and deputy consul general Fan Yingjie. People identified them and their names on social media.”

Relations between China and the UK have grown increasingly tense since Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong. Britain has been highly critical of the Hong Kong National Security Law, saying the law has been used to suppress dissent.

In 2021, a new visa regime gave Hongkongers with BNOs the right to live, work and study in the UK, and ultimately obtain citizenship.