Manchester Chinese consulate attack probe: officials have ‘returned home’, foreign secretary says

Greater Manchester police says it is continuing to investigate an attack on a protestor outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester - despite the Foreign Secretary confirming the departure of China’s consul general and five other diplomatic staff.

A man was dragged inside the consulate grounds and assaulted during a protest by Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners in Manchester in October. Police were called and shocking footage of the incident was widely shared on social media.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Parliament today that Greater Manchester Police wanted to interview six individuals over the incident. He added: “We all saw the disturbing footage of the incident outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester.

“In response to that we initiated a process based on our adherence to the rule of law. Greater Manchester Police initiated an investigation, as part of that investigation requested that six Chinese official waived diplomatic immunity so they could be questioned.

“We informed the Chinese Embassy of that and we set a deadline which expired today, making it clear that we expected them to take action. In response to our request, the Chinese government have now removed from the UK those officials, including the consul general himself.

“This demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents, has had an effect and we will continue on the world stage and domestically to abide by the rule of law and we expect others to do likewise.”

In a statement, GMP said its enquiries were ongoing. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: “GMP’s Major Incident Team is continuing its investigation into the events leading up to this incident.

“They have also successfully identified a number of offences including numerous assaults and public order offences as well as potential suspects and victims that we would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

“No arrests have yet been made but our enquiries will continue for as long as necessary with support from partners.”