In London, the Chinese Embassy in Manchester expressed concern over the beating of a protester

The British government on Monday described reports as “very disturbing” that a man who had demonstrated outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester for democratic rights in Hong Kong were defeated in the building of the diplomatic mission.

The information is “very troubling,” a Downing Street spokesman said on Monday, deeming it “inappropriate” to comment further as the police investigation continues.

The incident took place on Sunday in Manchestercity ​​in the north Englandwhere a pro-democracy activist protesting outside the Chinese consulate was allegedly taken inside the compound and beaten.

Video of the attack, which has gone viral on social media, shows a group of men beating another man lying on the ground outside the consulate gate. Judging by the footage, a group of men destroyed protesters’ banners.

In the next seconds, when there is a violent crush, right behind the fence, on the territory of the consulate, you can see how a man is beaten, from where he is later expelled.

“Police officers were present and immediately reacted to defuse the situation. Investigations are underway to clarify the circumstances,” the police said.

An activist identified as Bob told the BBC that he was beaten by people from the Chinese mission. “They put me inside, they beat me,” he said.

The events took place on the opening day of the congress Communist Party in Beijing that he should give President Xi Jinping a third term.

British police said a group of men came out of consulate during a peaceful protest and grabbed one of the demonstrators to bring him into the consulate and beat him. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry put forward a different version and blamed the protesters for what happened.

They entered illegally.

In its turn, China condemned on Tuesday that several protesters “illegally entered” his consulate in the British city Manchesterthe day after the airing of a video of an attack on a pro-democracy activist within a diplomatic delegation, drew criticism in United Kingdom.

“Rebels illegally entered the Chinese Consulate General in Manchesterand jeopardized the security of the facilities,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing.

The Representative also called United Kingdom “seriously carry out their duties and take effective measures to strengthen the protection of the premises and personnel of Chinese embassies and consulates.”

In addition, the British government summoned a Chinese diplomatic official on Tuesday to United Kingdom express their “deep concern” after a pro-democracy activist demonstrated outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester was beaten.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned Chargé d’Affaires of China from the Embassy China in London to express the government’s deep concern over the incident and demand an explanation for the actions of the consular staff,” Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jesse Norman told Parliament.

AFP