China accused a BBC journalist of acting 'as if he were a victim' after he was beaten and arrested while covering mass COVID-19 protests in the country

There have been protests in every major city — including Beijing, the Chinese capital.

NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images

• China accused a BBC journalist of playing "victim" after he was beaten and arrested by police.
• The reporter was covering anti-government protests in Shanghai when police arrested him.
• Top UK officials and the BBC slammed China for the move, which China has defended. 

China accused a BBC journalist on Tuesday of acting "as if he were a victim" after he was beaten and arrested while covering sweeping anti-government demonstrations in the country.

"This BBC journalist refused to cooperate with the police's law enforcement efforts and then acted as if he were a victim," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a Tuesday press conference. 

"The BBC immediately twisted the story and massively propagated the narrative that its journalist had been 'arrested' and 'beaten' by police while he was working, simply to try to paint China as the guilty party," Lijian added. "This deliberate distortion of truth is all too familiar as part of the BBC's distasteful playbook."

BBC journalist Edward Lawrence was covering mass anti-government protests in Shanghai on Sunday when he was arrested and detained for several hours by local police before getting released. In videos published to social media, Lawrence could be heard asking a bystander to call the British consulate as police took him away. Footage also showed him getting knocked down, punched, and kicked by officers. 

"The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai," the BBC press team said in a statement on Sunday. "He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist."

Additionally, the BBC said Chinese authorities have offered no apology for the arrest. The BBC said in its statement that Chinese officials said the arrest happened to protect Lawrence from getting infected with COVID-19 — a reason the network said is not a "credible explanation." 

Lijian said at Tuesday's press conference that police told Lawrence he had to leave the scene of the Shanghai protest but added that he refused to leave or identify himself as a journalist. Lijian said once Lawrence was arrested, police verified his identity and then released him — saying "everything was conducted within legal procedures."  

The BBC did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. In response to the arrest, the UK government Tuesday summoned China's ambassador in London, according to multiple reports.  

"Media freedom and freedom to protest must be respected," UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Monday. "No country is exempt. The arrest of BBC journalist [Edward Lawrence] in China is deeply disturbing. Journalists must be able to do their job without intimidation."

Anti-government protests have swept across China in recent days, as anger boiled over about the country's strict zero-COVID measures.

Mass demonstrations, which are rare in China, have seen people express frustration with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party. In a symbol of defiance, many protesters have held blank sheets of paper above their heads. 

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