London police are investigating Chinese embassy guards for allegedly brandishing weapons at protestors, as a legal challenge against plans for a new, larger Chinese embassy in the city commenced in the High Court. The investigation by Scotland Yard follows reports from Tibetan activists who claim embassy security staff threatened them with stun batons during a protest earlier in July.
Video footage of the incident is currently being reviewed by police. Pro-democracy campaigners assert that the footage shows electroshock weapons, which are classified as illegal firearms in the United Kingdom, being activated. The incident has intensified calls for the UK government to reconsider its approval of a new Chinese mega-embassy in east London.
"Evidence, if it were needed, that they do not care about our laws and procedures," stated Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. "How can we be expected to trust that they will abide by any of their mega-embassy agreements and conditions?"
Tenzin Rabga from Free Tibet described the alleged actions as "proof China's transnational repression reaches into the heart of Britain." Rabga urged the Metropolitan Police to act and called on the UK government to reconsider the mega-embassy decision and "end China's repression in the UK once and for all."
A spokesperson for Scotland Yard confirmed that officers responded on July 3 to reports of a protest outside the Chinese Embassy on Portland Place. "Two protestors alleged that embassy staff had pointed a Taser towards them," the spokesperson said. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made at this stage. The investigation is ongoing, with officers reviewing evidence, including witness-supplied video footage.
The controversy coincides with a legal challenge at the High Court brought by local residents opposing the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's decision to grant planning permission for the new embassy in January. The proposed blueprints for the new compound, slated for east London, reportedly include "secret blacked-out rooms" designated for embassy staff accommodation by the Chinese Communist Party.
Lawyers representing residents living near the proposed site argue that these rooms, along with general emergency service access to the site, pose a fire risk. Lord Banner KC, representing the claimants, told the court that health and safety laws are difficult to maintain due to diplomatic inviolability, which could prevent emergency services from entering the site without Chinese government permission in the event of a fire.
Claimants also expressed concerns that the embassy's presence could lead to terrorist attacks or the suppression of protests, potentially being used to enforce Chinese laws and target dissidents within the UK. The High Court hearing is continuing.