BBC journalist Ed Lawrence was slapped, kicked, arrested and later released by Chinese authorities, while covering protests against the restrictive ‘zero Covid’ policy in Shanghai, China.
The news was reported by the British Public Broadcasting Corporation, which was “extremely concerned” about the arrest of the journalist.
The BBC reported that “Ed Lawrence was slapped and kicked during his arrest.” “Then he was handcuffed and detained for several hours before being released,” he added. The journalist was covering protests over the extension of restrictions to combat the pandemic, which the Chinese regime has adopted since 2020.
“I’m on the scene last night” of the extraordinary anti-Covid-Zero protest in Shanghai. Many people gather here, quietly watching. Lots of cups. Two girls laid flowers, which were promptly removed by the police. A man walked past the police with his middle finger. # Shanghai
– Edward Lawrence (EP_Lawrence) November 27, 2022
According to the British channel, the Chinese authorities did not provide any credible explanation for the arrest of the journalist, nor did they apologize for the treatment he received.
Edward Lawrence, who works in the BBC’s Beijing bureau, has traveled to Shanghai to cover the protests in recent days.
Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan are some of the Chinese cities where thousands of people gather in the streets and universities to oppose the “zero Covid” policy. The strategy includes isolating all positive cases and close contacts, blocking entire neighborhoods or cities, and continually conducting mass testing.
A fire that killed at least 10 people in an apartment building in Urumqi, in the Xinjiang region, on Thursday evening sparked protests in which demonstrators demanded the removal of Xi Jinping from the country’s presidency.
The Chinese capital, which has been particularly shielded from an outbreak since 2020, is experiencing the highest levels of infection: according to the latest official report, more than 4,300 new cases were detected on Saturday, 82% of which were asymptomatic.
These figures, low by international standards but unbearable for the Chinese authorities, have led to restrictions and confinement of a large part of the capital’s population.
According to data from the National Health Commission, China broke the record for infections on Saturday, revealing nearly 40,000 new cases, although more than 90% of cases are asymptomatic.
