Commentary
On Oct. 16, one of China’s consul generals in England reportedly stormed through a group of pro-democracy protesters in Manchester, kicking and tearing down posters, and pulling a man by the hair onto the consulate grounds. There, a consulate enforcement squad, some of whom wore riot gear, brutally beat the protester.
The victim came from Hong Kong, which, since 1997, suffered under Beijing’s rule.
The protest coincided with the opening of the twice-a-decade Chinese Communist Party (CCP) congress in Beijing, where Xi Jinping is expected to be made a de facto dictator for life.
Earlier in the day, Xi made a “triumphalist and combative” speech, calling on Chinese officials to show “fighting spirit” in their work. The consul general was probably watching….