BBC Journalist ‘Crushed and Kicked by Police’ Whereas Protecting Shanghai Protests

• Edward Lawrence, a BBC journalist, was arrested whereas masking zero-COVID insurance policies in Shanghai.
• A BBC spokesperson mentioned he was “crushed and kicked by police” through the arrest. 
• Protests have been ongoing in Shanghai, Beijing, and Nanjing relating to the strict lockdowns.

Edward Lawrence, a BBC journalist, was “crushed and kicked by police” as he was arrested in China whereas masking zero-COVID coverage protests. 

Previous to his arrest, Lawrence was posting on social media about ongoing protests in Shanghai, the place residents have gathered to object to stringent zero-COVID insurance policies. The protests observe the dying of 10 folks in an condominium fireplace in Urumqi. Although officers deny lockdown insurance policies contributed to the tragedy, locals say the hearth could not be extinguished on account of virus management limitations. 

“The gang has grown from perhaps a number of dozen to a number of hundred,” Lawrence posted shortly earlier than his arrest. “I’ve seen the police arrest three folks — two of whom then fought with police. There is a silent pressure till one individual shouts, after which the group chants and claps in help.”

—Edward Lawrence (@EP_Lawrence) November 27, 2022

Video of Lawrence’s arrest rapidly circulated on social media, the place you possibly can hear the journalist urging somebody standing close to him to “name the consulate now” earlier than being knocked down and repeatedly punched and kicked by the arresting officers.

“The BBC is extraordinarily involved concerning the remedy of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed whereas masking the protests in Shanghai,” The Guardian reported a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster mentioned. “He was held for a number of hours earlier than being launched. Throughout his arrest, he was crushed and kicked by the police. This occurred whereas he was working as an accredited journalist.”

—Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) November 27, 2022

Regardless of the relative rarity of social unrest in China, giant protests have erupted all through the nation in current days — together with within the cities of Urumqi, Beijing, and Nanjing — following the implementation of COVID lockdown insurance policies. 

The Xinjiang area, the place Urumqi is positioned, is in its third month of COVID lockdowns, although the area has had simply three COVID-related deaths within the final month, in response to knowledge from Johns Hopkins College.

The BBC didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark.