Chinese diplomat involved in protester attack, says UK MP

One of China's astir elder UK diplomats was progressive successful unit against protesters astatine the Manchester consulate connected Sunday, a British MP says.

"What we saw was the Chinese consul-general past ripping down posters and peaceful protest," Alicia Kearns told MPs successful the House of Commons.

MPs successful Parliament person privilege, allowing them to talk freely without fearfulness of ineligible action.

China has not commented connected Zheng Xiyuan's alleged involvement.

But the overseas ministry successful Beijing defended the actions of consulate staff.

Spokesman Wang Wenbin said radical had "illegally entered" the grounds and immoderate country's diplomats would person taken "necessary measures" to support their premises.

The authoritative Chinese mentation is astatine likelihood with video footage and statements from police. Officers had to resistance backmost a protester from wrong the consulate gross arsenic helium was being attacked.

After Consul-General Zheng Xiyuan ripped down the placards, Ms Kearns told MPs, determination was "grievous bodily harm against a Hongkonger, 1 of whom was hospitalised for taking portion successful a peaceful protest.

"Some were past dragged onto consulate territory for a further beating by officials who person been recognised to beryllium members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"We cannot let the CCP to import their beating of protesters, their silencing of escaped code and their nonaccomplishment to let clip and clip again protests connected British soil. This is simply a chilling escalation."

"Shortly earlier 4pm a tiny radical of men came retired of the gathering and a antheral was dragged into the consulate grounds and assaulted," the connection said.

"Due to our fears for the information of the man, officers intervened and removed the unfortunate from the consulate grounds."

Another Conservative MP, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, asked if the authorities would "be prepared to expel the consul-general and immoderate of those that are recovered to person been portion of that punishment beating and the vandalism?"

Foreign Office curate Jesse Norman said the authorities had issued a summons to the Chinese complaint d'affaires successful London for an explanation.

Mr Norman told the House of Commons: "We've already outlined a process of raising this formally with the Chinese embassy... and we volition spot wherever these procedures, these ineligible and prosecutorial procedures, whitethorn pb to, and astatine that constituent we volition instrumentality further action."