I was dragged into China consulate, protester Bob Chen sayson October 19, 2022 at 6:57 pm

A protester says he was not trying to enter Manchester’s Chinese consulate during a pro-democracy demonstration that saw violent scenes on Sunday.

Bob Chan told a news conference he was dragged onto the consulate grounds and beaten by men, leaving him with injuries requiring hospital treatment.

It comes a day after a British MP accused one of China’s most senior UK diplomats of being involved.

Amid the growing row, China has claimed there were attempts at illegal entry.

Speaking at a news conference organised by several British MPs, Mr Chan, a Hongkonger, said he was left physically and mentally hurt by Sunday’s incident.

He described being beaten by masked men outside the consulate, some of whom he said were trying to take down a display of banners.

“I then found myself being dragged into the grounds of the consulate. I held onto the gates where i was kicked and punched, 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 protestors were trying to get me out of this situation, but to no avail.

“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.

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

Police in Manchester have said up to 40 protesters gathered outside the consulate – a smaller diplomatic office that is UK territory but cannot be entered without consent.

At about 16:00 BST, Greater Manchester Police said a group of men “came out of the building and a man was dragged into the consulate grounds and assaulted”.

“Due to our fears for the safety of the man, officers intervened and removed the victim from the consulate grounds,” a statement said.

Mr Chan spoke of his shock at the incident and told of his fear for family members still in Hong Kong.

“I am shocked because I never thought something like this could happen in the UK. I still believe the UK is a place where free speech and protest are basic human rights.

“No amount of violence or diplomatic pressure will change that. I am hurt physically and mentally,” he said.

The demonstrators – many of whom were from Hong Kong – were protesting as the ruling Communist Party congress began in Beijing.

A spokesperson for the consulate said the protesters had “hung an insulting portrait of the Chinese president at the main entrance”.

Beijing later claimed its consulate staff were subjected to harassment and said there were attempts to enter the consulate grounds.

China has “made representations” to the UK government to increase protection for its diplomatic staff.

Meanwhile, the senior Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith criticised the UK government’s diplomatic response to the incident so far.

He told the news conference it had been “wholly inadequate… and I think I’m being slightly kind to them”.

Mr Duncan Smith described Foreign Office Minister Jesse Norman as having to be “dragged” to the despatch box in Parliament to respond to the situation.

He said a meeting between the UK and a Chinese official about Sunday’s incident resulted in “a gentle wrap on the knuckles”.

Last year, the UK created a new visa system providing about 70% of Hong Kong’s population the right to live, work and study with a route to citizenship.

Over 100,000 people have arrived on the new visas, as Beijing’s influence over the former British colony increases and following the introduction of a controversial national security law.