TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An image surfaced on Tuesday (Oct. 18) allegedly identifying four Chinese diplomats who have been accused of assaulting a Hong Kong protestor inside China's Consulate General in Manchester, England.
On Sunday (Oct. 16), a video appeared on Telegram showing Hongkongers protesting against China outside the consulate in the U.K. A member of the consulate staff, wearing a beret, blue scarf, and dark coat, later identified as Consul General Zheng Xiyuan (鄭曦原), can be seen destroying protest banners.
Zheng then enters a breach in the front gate, where protestors can be seen clashing with other employees of the consulate. Although police were able to separate protesters and consulate staff, one of the protesters, who wished only to be identified as "Bob," was dragged by consulate employees into the grounds of the facility.
Another video clearly shows several consulate members holding the man down as they beat him, while a British police officer tries in vain to pull the assailants off the victim.
Members of the Telegram group Team Hong Kong Flag in Manchester (曼城香港旗隊) compared footage of clothing and facial features of the consulate members to video and photos of the incident to publically identify those involved. On Tuesday (Oct. 18), an image naming the four alleged attackers was uploaded online.
According to the image, the alleged assailants are Zheng, Consul Gao Lianjia (高連甲), Counsellor Chen Wei (陳偉), and Deputy Consul General Fan Yingjie (範映傑).
All four can be seen in the photo dragging the victim into the compound. Bob was later able to leave the compound but had abrasions and bruises on his face, and reportedly suffered injuries to his head, face, neck, back, and waist, according to VOA.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin (汪文斌), claimed, "The troublemakers illegally entered the Chinese Consulate-General in Manchester, endangering the security of the premises," reported HKFP. British Prime Minister Liz Truss described the incident as "extremely concerning," while members of both the Labour and Conservative parties have called for the Chinese ambassador to provide an explanation of the incident, reported the Guardian.
Many people believe the man who kicked down the banner and watched other staff members beating up a #HongKong #HK protester inside the #CCP Consulate in Manchester in UK could be no other than Consul-General #ZhengXiujuan #鄭曦原 pic.twitter.com/VK1pCPxWay
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferzeng97) October 17, 2022
Some of the thugs in this pic taken at the Manchester consulate gate during their blitz on HK protesters have been identified (left to right):
Consul General Zheng Xiyuan 郑曦原
Consul Gao Lianjia 高连甲
Counsellor Chen Wei 陈伟
Deputy Consul General Fan Yingjie 范映杰 https://t.co/uCRWZWI3jG pic.twitter.com/i4hCd51RW6
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) October 17, 2022
These are the #CCP diplomats who dragged a #HongKong protester inside the #chineseconsulate in #Manchester and beaten him: from left to right Consul General #ZhengXiyuan, Consul #GaoLianjia, Counsellor #ChenWei, Deputy Consul General #FanYingjie. https://t.co/pMTbh36jFH pic.twitter.com/p1WyyAA7gt
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferzeng97) October 17, 2022
