The BBC denounced on Sunday the arrest and assault by Chinese police of one of its journalists who was covering a demonstration in Shanghai against the strict restrictions in force in China in the face of the COVID-19 epidemic, an event deemed “unforgivable ” in London.
“The BBC is extremely concerned at the treatment of our reporter Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering protests in Shanghai,” the British broadcaster said in a statement.
“He was detained for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. All of this happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” the BBC said.
The audiovisual group said it had not received any credible explanation for this arrest from Chinese authorities.
“We have not received any explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, other than a statement from the officers who arrested him, prior to his release, explaining that this arrest was in his interest, in order to prevent him from being infected with the virus responsible for COVID-19 in this crowd,” the BBC explained.
“Not presented as such”
China’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday the reporter had failed to identify himself as such, adding the BBC’s statement did not reflect the course of events.
In London on Monday, the Minister for Trade, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Grant Shapps, deemed this incident inexcusable. “There is absolutely no excuse to attack journalists who are just covering the ongoing protests,” he told Sky News, saying he was “extremely concerned”.
Like many Chinese cities, Shanghai has been the scene of protests in recent days against the drastic restrictions imposed on the Chinese population as part of the “zero COVID-19” policy imposed by the authorities.
