LONDON (Reuters) – China has removed six officials from Britain who police wanted to question over the treatment of a man who said he was kicked and punched while protesting outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester, British foreign minister James Cleverly said.
Cleverly said the removal of the officials, including the consul general in Manchester, came after a police request to interview them over the incident.
“I am disappointed that these individuals will not be interviewed or face justice,” Cleverly said in a written statement.
“Nonetheless, it is right that those responsible for the disgraceful scenes in Manchester are no longer – or will shortly cease to be – consular staff accredited to the UK.”
Police had been investigating the alleged assault on a protester who was beaten by several men after being dragged inside the grounds of the consulate in northwest England during a demonstration against President Xi Jinping.
“Images carried on social media showed what appeared to be completely unacceptable behaviour by a number of individuals near the entrance to the consular premises,” said Cleverly, who summoned the acting ambassador over the incident.
Cleverly said that police had requested six Chinese officials waive diplomatic immunity so they could be questioned and the embassy had been informed, giving them a week to act.
“In response to our request, the Chinese government have now removed from the UK those officials, including the consul general himself,” Cleverly told broadcasters.
Greater Manchester Police said in a statement it would continue to investigate the events surrounding the protest.
Chair of the British parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Alicia Kearns, said the government should bar the officials from ever returning to Britain.
The October protest took place on the first day of the twice-a-decade congress of China’s ruling Communist Party in Beijing at which Xi won an unprecedented third leadership term.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Alex Richardson)
