Rallies were held in multiple cities in the United Kingdom to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the 6/12 protest held during the Hong Kong anti-extradition protests of 2019.
On June 11, a British-Hongkonger group, Hongkongers in Southampton, UK, held a rally at the Bargate to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the 6/12 incident. About 100 people attended the event.
Some of the attendees were later attacked on the streets by several Mandarin Chinese speakers.
One of the perpetrators was identified as an exchange student from Beijing studying at Southampton University.
A video showed three men violently assaulting a man on the street. A sixth person in the attacker’s group was seen watching on the sideline but did not get actively involved in the attack.
In the video, you could hear them shouting “Hong Kong is part of China,” while waving the CCP’s national flag.
During the period, a man in a white T-shirt and black shorts was filming the rally and provoking attendees.
According to online media, The Chaser News, reporters on site said the man called for backup but was made to leave by the attendees.
However, a few hours later, several rally attendees who were having supper nearby were assaulted by the same man in a white T-shirt and black shorts and a few other Mandarin-speaking men.
An online video showed the three men in white, red, and black T-shirts assaulting a Hongkonger in a black tee and a woman who tried to stop the man from attacking.
One of the attackers swore and shouted, “Hong Kong is part of China.”
The victim suffered bruises and scratches on his arms and neck.
After the attack, someone shared a conversation screenshot from WeChat while another user uploaded the attack footage and commented, “Beat the hell out of the Hong Kong independence dogs.”
Another said, “How entertaining!!”
Other netizens questioned the attackers why they stayed in the U.K. if they loved their country so much; They should go back to China.
Attacker Identified
Chaser News reported that the perpetrator in a white T-shirt and the person who sent photos to the WeChat group was the same person, named Zheng Gong.Born and raised in Beijing, Gong graduated from Tianjin Polytechnic University in 2022 before becoming a student at Southampton University.
In October 2022, a man with a TikTok account under the same name as Gong shared a video of an event at Southampton University.
During the “Guess the National Flag” event, a Japanese student displayed a picture of the Blue Sky, a white Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth Flag. Gong and other Mandarin-speaking students rushed over to cover the flag photo with their hands aggressively and yelled, “Taiwan is part of China!”
Police Investigate
Southampton Police received reports of hate-related crime at around 4.25 pm on Sunday, June 11, 2023, that a group of people were attacked on Burgess Road, Southampton, and two people were injured.Overseas Hongkongers at Risk of Being Attacked by CCP Supporters
Hongkongers in Britain condemned the attackers for their flagrant violations of the basic principles of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and protest.The British-Hong Kong organization also stated that they had witnessed the erosion of civil liberties and the repression of democratic values in Hong Kong. The group believed the right to peacefully protest and defend one’s beliefs is a fundamental human right that should be protected and respected by all.
The group added that the attack in Southampton was not “only an attack on individuals but also an insult to democracy and human rights principles.”
