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Police officers block a street in Shanghai to stop protests against the corona policy
Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
Since the weekend, Chinese security forces have been using violence against demonstrators across the country who took to the streets against the government's strict corona policy.
Authorities had apparently also taken action against an accredited BBC journalist.
Now the case is causing resentment between the People's Republic and Great Britain.
"There can be absolutely no excuse for journalists who simply cover protests to be beaten by the police," UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News.
"This is really concerning," Shapps continued.
In Beijing, meanwhile, the incident is being weighed down.
A Foreign Office spokesman claimed the BBC man did not identify himself as a journalist.
The case involves BBC reporter Ed Lawrence.
According to his own statements, he was arrested in Shanghai and mistreated by the Chinese police.
"The BBC is extremely concerned at the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the Shanghai protests," a spokesman for the British broadcaster said.
Lawrence was punched and kicked by police officers during the arrest, even though he was accredited as a journalist.
He was only released hours later.
Authorities then claimed Lawrence was simply taken into custody to protect him from contracting coronavirus in the crowd.
The BBC dismissed this as "not a credible explanation".
Loud demand for contact with the consulate
Photos and videos were posted online of a man being taken away by police shouting for someone to call the consulate immediately.
On his Twitter account, Lawrence had shortly before described impressions of the protests, which are extremely unusual in China and in which he estimates that several hundred people took part.
Not only in Shanghai, but also in the capital Beijing and other megacities, hundreds of demonstrators roamed the streets over the weekend.
Videos from Shanghai, which circulated on the Internet despite state censorship, contained shouts such as »Down with the Communist Party!
Down with Xi Jinping!'
mrc/dpa/Reuters