Police Probe ‘Hate-Related’ Incident After Hong Kong Protesters Allegedly Assaulted by Chinese Students in UK

Undated photograph of a police officer taking down notes at the scene of a crime in England. (PA)

Hampshire constabulary said they are looking into a report of a “hate-related assault” following allegations that Hong Kong protesters were attacked near the University of Southampton by Chinese individuals.

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, the police said a group of people were allegedly “confronted and assaulted on Burgess Road in Southampton” at around 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.

“Two people received minor injuries as a result of the assault. We are currently conducting an investigation and carrying out enquiries to ascertain the exact circumstances of the incident,” the police said.

It comes after footage emerged online that appeared to show a group of three, alleged to be Chinese students at the University of Southampton, attacking two people, with one attacker shouting “Hong Kong belongs to China.”

Expatriate association Hongkongers in Britain (HKB) said violence against Hongkongers is “de-facto an extrajudicial and extraterritorial punishment on people holding opposing viewpoints of the Chinese authority.”

The 11-second video was published on Twitter by Li, known as Teacher Li, who gathered a significant following on social media last year for collecting and publishing footage during the widespread protests in China against COVID-19 lockdowns and Communist Party rule.

In the description, Li said students from the nearby University of Southampton had attacked a Hong Kong protester and bragged about it on social media.

The footage appears to show a young man and a young woman surrounded by a group of people. Two people were shown to have kicked the man, while a third wrestled and pushed both the man and the woman, who managed to push him away.

Several others were standing around watching or filming on and off the screen.

Expletive-Laden Comments

The group were heard hurling abuses during the scuffle, with one person saying “Hong Kong [expletive] belongs to China.” One person, who was seen kicking the man, also waved a Chinese flag.

Li also published two screenshots, allegedly from a group chat on Chinese social media app WeChat.

In one of the screenshots, WeChat users made expletive-laden comments after one user posted a photo of a Hong Kong rally with a description saying “[expletive] Hong Kong independence activists are gathering in city centre.”

One user suggested a group of people should surround the rally and “sing the national anthem.”

In another screenshot, a user posted the footage of the alleged assault, followed by “violently beating Hong Kong Independence dog,” with others cheering the act.

“Dog” used to be an extremely insulting word in China mostly used to dehumanise people. Its usage has been expanded in recent years to describe any group of people with little or no negative connotations.

The Epoch Times has not been able to independently verify the information.

In an email to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for the University of Southampton said the university is aware of the footage and that it would be inappropriate to provide further comment as the matter had been reported to the police.

“The university condemns violence of any kind and respects everyone’s right to free speech,” the person said.

Reacting to the footage on Twitter, Benedict Rogers, co-founder and chief executive of the NGO Hong Kong Watch, said, “This appalling [Chinese Communist Party] thuggery against Hongkongers in Southampton marking 612 anniversary is unacceptable and outrageous and cannot be tolerated.”

On June 12, 2019, Hong Kong police used tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters who were demonstrating against a bill on extradition to mainland China.

Extrajudicial and Extraterritorial Punishment

Simon Cheng, founder and chairman of HKB, said the organisation “strongly condemns” violence against Hong Kong activists.

“We are deeply concerned about the incident and wish to express our solidarity with the victims who were subjected to such violence,” Cheng said in a message to The Epoch Times.

He also said violence on Hong Kong protesters in the UK is “de-facto an extrajudicial and extraterritorial punishment on people holding opposing viewpoints of the Chinese authorities,” and “could be seen as the ripple effect after the imposition of [the National Security Law] in Hong Kong.”

Stressing that people holding any political views “should be able to express their opinions without fear of reprisal or violence,” Cheng said the attack is “an alarming display of aggression and intolerance” and “a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to protest.”

He called on the authorities to “thoroughly investigate the incident, identify the perpetrators responsible for the assault, and ensure that they are held accountable for their actions.”

He also urged educational institutions to “take this incident seriously and address any potential concerns regarding the safety and well-being of students, particularly those who may hold differing political opinions.”