Chinese authorities hold and beat a BBC journalist

MADRID, 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

BBC journalist Edward Lawrence has been "beaten and kicked by Police" before being arrested while covering a protest against the lockdown due to COVID-19 protests in China.

The British broadcasting corporation has stated that it is "very concerned" after confirming that the cameraman "was attacked" in Shanghai this Sunday, as shown by some images on social networks in which police officers dragged the handcuffed journalist along the ground. .

"The BBC is very concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai," a BBC spokesperson said.

The station has added that Lawrence, who is already free, has been held for several hours. "During his arrest he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist," the BBC spokesman explained.

"It is very worrying that one of our journalists has been attacked in this way in the performance of his duties," the spokesman added, speaking to British broadcaster LBC.

In this sense, the BBC has criticized that the corporation has not received any official explanation or apology from the authorities, "beyond a statement by the officials in which they stated that they had been arrested for their own good in the event that caught the coronavirus in the crowd."

"We do not consider this to be a credible explanation," said the station's spokesman.

Lawrence, who works for the corporation at the Beijing headquarters, traveled to Shanghai on the occasion of the massive protests that were called in the city.

As the journalist himself published on his Twitter profile, the Police were blocking the roads and not letting people pass, after the crowd increased.

"I have seen the Police arrest three people, two of whom confronted the agents. There is a silent tension until one person screams, then the crowd sings and claps in support," he explained after noting that the protests they were peaceful with lots of police control.

Since Friday, residents of China have organized several protests in different cities of the country over the measures imposed against the coronavirus within the framework of the so-called 'COVID Zero' policy implemented by Xi Jinping.

The number of infections by coronavirus registers record figures in the country with more than 40,000 people infected.