Hong Kong protester beaten by Chinese consulate staff says they should be expelled from UK

Police officers pulling attackers away from a protester outside of the Chinese consulate in Manchester. Photo / Twitter

A Hong Kong protester who was beaten by officials in the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester has demanded that they be expelled from the country.

The protester, a Hong Kong asylum seeker who only gave his name as “Bob” to protect his identity, told the Telegraph that he would like to see the men arrested but understood this was “unrealistic” given their diplomatic status.

He said that instead, he hoped “they will be deported from the UK and not allowed back again”.

“It was not lawful what they did, it’s totally unreasonable to punch people,” he added.

Bob said that despite fearing that he would not make it back out of the consulate, he was not afraid to protest against Beijing again.

“I’m not scared at all.”

He was part of a demonstration by Hong Kongers outside the consulate on Sunday timed to coincide with the appointment of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, to a third term in office.

The group had with them a poster depicting a naked Xi as the emperor with no clothes. This angered consulate staff, with videos and photos from the event showing them rushing into the crowd and attempting to tear down the banners.

They then scuffled with some of the protesters and succeeded in dragging Bob through the compound gate and onto consulate grounds where they surrounded him and proceeded to beat him.

A local police officer then stepped into the grounds to pull Bob back out on to the street.

中国驻英国使馆人员把香港人拖进领馆里围殴pic.twitter.com/8YRr1t0VmV

— Inty (@__Inty__) October 16, 2022

Luke de Pfeford, a campaigner and member of Hong Kong Watch, a pro-democracy group, claimed that there was evidence from photographs and videos of the incident that the general consul Zheng Xiyuan was personally involved.

Speaking alongside his wife, Bob told the Telegraph that they had pulled him by his hair, ripping some of it out, and left him with bruising on his back, arms, neck and face.

He went to a local hospital after the incident but then left without being treated after waiting 15 hours to see a doctor without success.

Bob told The Telegraph that at the time he was unable to identify the man, but having seen pictures of him subsequently believed that it was Zheng.

The Hong Konger left the former British colony in March of last year to escape Beijing’s brutal crackdown. “We were beaten badly by the Hong Kong police during protests,” he said. “People would disappear, lots got killed. It wasn’t safe at all, so we left.”

Despite that, Bob remained defiant. “The more bad things they do, the harder we will stand.”

Asked what action would be taken against the consular staff, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office pointed to a statement by the Prime Minister’s spokesman.

He said: “These reports are obviously deeply concerning.

“I understand Greater Manchester Police responded immediately to the incident. I am conscious that their inquiries are ongoing so it would be inappropriate for me to comment beyond that.”