British police have launched an investigation following reports that Hong Kong’s justice secretary was injured in an alleged assault during a trip to London.
Teresa Cheng was surrounded by protesters on Thursday night in the city, where she was on a visit to promote Hong Kong as a centre of dispute resolution.
In footage posted to social media, the protesters were heard shouting “murderer” and “shameful” before the 61-year-old is seen falling to the floor. It is not clear from the videos whether she fell or was pushed.
Police in London later confirmed that “a woman was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service suffering an injury to her arm.”
The statement added: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. There has been no arrest at this stage.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in London said it believed Cheng had been deliberately pushed to the ground and condemned the protesters involved in the incident.
It said: “During her recent visit in the UK, Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, the Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was besieged and attacked by dozens of anti-China and pro-independence activists.
“She was pushed to the ground and sustained hand injury. We express strong indignation and unequivocally condemn the activists.”
The statement went on to call for a thorough investigation and for the international community to issue a similar condemnation in response.
“Their action deserves to be condemned not only by the entire Chinese people including the Hong Kong compatriots but also by the British public and the international community unanimously,” it said.
The protest on Thursday evening came as a spin-off to ongoing political unrest back in Hong Kong.
What initially started as a pro-democracy movement against a now-scrapped extradition bill has now moved forward to concerns about upcoming elections, and in opposition to the government’s dealing with the protests.
