▲ A Hong Kong man being dragged into the grounds from the main gate of the consulate
The British government has summoned a Chinese diplomat after consulate staff gang assaulted Hong Kong protesters in front of the Chinese consulate in the UK.
Deputy Foreign Minister Jesse Norman said in Parliament that he had asked the acting ambassador at the Chinese embassy in London to express his deep concerns about the incident and to explain the actions of consular staff.
"Everyone in the UK has the right to freely express their views without fear of violence," he said.
It is about the case in which a Hong Kong man was dragged into the consulate and beaten during a protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, UK on the 16th.
At the time, 30 to 40 people were gathered outside the consulate for the protest and local police were on the scene to support the peaceful protest.
However, men came out of the consulate building, dragged one protester into the consulate's premises, and assaulted them.
Afterwards, the police intervened and took the victim out of the consulate's premises.
The victim, known as a democracy activist in Hong Kong, suffered multiple injuries and was admitted to hospital for treatment.
Alicia Keens, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a parliamentary session that "there is a very good chance that Manchester's consul-general was involved in the attack."
The Guardian said in a video uploaded online that a figure believed to be the Consul General ripped the poster and pulled the hair of one of the protesters.
"Those involved in this assault must be prosecuted or deported from the UK within a week," Kiers said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Wang Wen-bin declined to comment on the involvement of the consul general, Reuters reported.