China defended today that its diplomatic missions abroad have the right to “take necessary measures” to maintain security, after British police announced an investigation into an assault on a protester at a Chinese consulate.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference that the protester had “illegally entered the consulate” and “harmed the security of Chinese diplomatic facilities”.
“The diplomatic missions of all countries have the right to take necessary measures to maintain the peace and dignity of facilities,” Wang said. “I want to stress that the peace and dignity of Chinese embassies and consulates abroad must not be violated,” he added.
Wang said the British government should increase protection of Chinese diplomatic posts and officials in the United Kingdom.
Police in the English city of Manchester said that a peaceful protest organized by a group of Hong Kongers on Sunday outside the consulate turned into a “hostile” situation when unidentified persons emerged from the grounds of the Chinese diplomatic mission and dragged a demonstrator into the headquarters of the Chinese diplomatic mission. Consulate and beat him.
Police said one of their agents intervened to remove the man.
The protester was taken to hospital and no arrests have been made so far.
A video broadcast by BBC television showed fighting in front of the consulate, after masked men emerged from the building and removed posters of protesters. The same video shows the men dragging the protester into the consulate and beating him.
The British government said the incident was “extremely worrying”, adding that police had stepped up patrols in the area.
At a press conference, Hong Kong leader John Lee admitted today that he does not have all the details on the case, but is confident that the UK government will deal with the incident in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and British law. .
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said it was important to establish all the facts, but added: “Based on what I have seen, I want to make it clear that it is never acceptable to attack peaceful protesters. Those responsible for their actions must be held accountable.”
The opposition Labor Party’s foreign affairs spokesman, David Lammy, called on the British government to summon the Chinese ambassador to explain what happened.
Britain took in thousands of Hong Kong citizens, many of whom left the territory after a sweeping national security law was passed in 2020 that critics say ended the former British colony’s self-rule.
According to a statement distributed by protest organizers, about 60 protesters gathered outside the Manchester Consulate to protest against “Xi Jinping’s re-election”.
The current general secretary of the Communist Party of China is expected to get a third term during the organization’s congress, which takes place this week, in breach of the political tradition of recent decades in China.
Since taking office in 2012, Xi has become the center of Chinese politics. He is now considered one of the most powerful leaders in the country’s modern history, comparable to Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic.
In his opening speech at the conference, the Chinese president said the measures taken in Hong Kong after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 had restored order and ensured that the patriots would rule the semi-autonomous region.
He said Hong Kong “has entered a new phase where it has restored order and is ready to thrive.”
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