One of the most senior Chinese Communist Party officials in the United Kingdom has said that it was his “duty” to physically manhandle a pro-democracy protester from Hong Kong outside his consulate, arguing that the demonstrator had been insulting China and Xi Jinping.
Zheng Xiyuan, the Consul-General of the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, admitted that he was involved in the violence that took place on Sunday outside the Manchester consulate, but argued that he was acting in an appropriate member to defend his staff, as well as the good name of his country and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The apparent attack on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters outside the CCP-controlled building in the UK has sparked massive outcry in Britain, with MPs, in particular, expressing concern at Xiyuan’s apparent involvement in the violence after video footage of the brawl appeared to show the senior Chinese Official ripping down posters and pulling the hair of one demonstrator.
Speaking to Sky News, Xiyuan — who alleged he initially approached the protest “peacefully” and that he didn’t “attack anybody” — confirmed his involvement in the fracas, initially justifying his manhandling of a protester by saying that the individual had threatened the life of his staff, before going on to say that it was his duty to attack the protester for insulting his country.
“That guy threatened my colleague’s life, and we tried to control the situation,” the Chinese Consul-General claimed, describing the event as being an “emergency situation”.
However, when confronted with evidence that he had pulled the protester’s hair, Xiyuan appeared to change his tune.
“It’s because he’s abused my country, my leader,” he said, before confirming to the interviewer that he thought it was his “duty” to pull the protester’s hair.
The controversy surrounding the violent events that occurred on Sunday outside of the consulate have only grown over recent days, with another senior Chinese official being summoned by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to explain the actions of the country’s officials in relation to the event.
Such a meeting reportedly never happened, however, with The Times instead reporting that Cleverly failed to turn up to the engagement with the Chinese Deputy Ambassador, with the Tory bigwig instead reportedly sending an unnamed insider to give what was only a “light rap on the knuckles” to the Communist representative.
Meanwhile, evidence of violence from the day continues to mount, with more footage appearing to show a number of masked men — who are said to have emerged from within the consulate — attacking protesters.
One injured demonstrator has even alleged that he was dragged into the grounds of the embassy by the men, where they proceeded to beat him.
Such a description of events has been backed up by UK law enforcement, who described a member of the force having to enter the grounds of the consulate to rescue a pro-Hong Kong protester from his assailants.
Authorities from the communist nation have so far maintained their innocence in regard to the brawl, with one spokesman based in mainland China alleging that protesters entered the grounds of the consulate illegally, while Xiyuan has alleged that a number of his staff were left injured after the violence.
Such a claim has also been seemingly backed by video evidence, with newly released footage online purporting to show pro-Hong Kong democracy protesters repeatedly kicking a man thought to be a Chinese official from the consulate who had fallen to the ground.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.