Britain Summons Chinese Envoy Over Assault On BBC Journalist Covering Anti-Lockdown Protests: Report

The UK has summoned China’s ambassador Zheng Zeguang to seek an explanation for the assault of a BBC journalist who was covering anti-lockdown protests in China.

Britain on Tuesday summoned China’s ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang to seek an explanation for the assault of a BBC journalist by the Chinese police while he was reporting on a protest in Shanghai, reported Reuters.

Britain has alleged that the Chinese police assaulted and detained a British journalist, EP Lawrence, from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Shanghai. He was released after several hours.

A spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster said: “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai.”

China has, however, denied the allegations. Zeguang on Tuesday issued a statement, saying: “The UK side is falsely claiming that the journalist had been “arrested” and “beaten” by Chinese police. Such a groundless accusation is a distortion of the truth and malicious slander and is totally unacceptable to the Chinese side.”

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“To maintain public order, local police in Shanghai asked people who had gathered at a crossroads to leave. One of those at the scene was a resident journalist from the BBC. The journalist in the entire time did not identify himself as a journalist and refused to cooperate with the police’s law enforcement efforts. The police then had to take him away from the scene. After verifying his identity, the police allowed him to leave,” the statement read.

Britain's foreign minister James Cleverly, who is attending a NATO event said: "It is incredibly important that we protect media freedom. It is something very much at the heart of the UK's belief system, and it is incredibly important that journalists can go about their business unmolested and without fear of attack.”

China is witnessing massive protests against restrictions that force millions of people to stay in their homes due to fear of the spread of COVID. The protesters are also demanding Chinese President Xi Jinping's resignation.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday slammed the Xi Jinping government’s crackdown on the protesters and advised the Chinese premier to listen to the people. This, however, drew a sharp reaction from the Chinese embassy in the UK, which issued a statement that read: “The UK side is in no position to pass judgment on China's COVID policy or other internal affairs.”