Protesters against proposed Chinese ‘mega-embassy’ in London clash with police

Protesters against the proposed Chinese “mega-embassy” in London clashed with police less than an hour after senior Conservatives addressed the crowd.

More than 1,000 people gathered outside the historic former site of the Royal Mint, voicing concerns that redeveloping it into a large Chinese embassy would pose a serious security threat.

They included people from Hong Kong and China, Tibetans and Uighurs, and flags and placards were waved that said “CCP is watching you, Stop the mega embassy”, “Space for free speech”, “Free Hong Kong – revolution now” and “Say no to China’s transnational oppression”.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat spoke in solidarity with the crowd on Tower Hill on Saturday, saying “we know when the Chinese Communist Party puts up walls, what goes on inside them is never in Britain’s interest”.

He added: “We know that when the Chinese Communist Party closes doors the only thing they trap is freedom.

“And we know because many of you have lived it, many of you who are courageous Hong Kongers, courageous Tibetans and Uighurs, who have explained your testimony a thousand times, have been extremely clear, that when the Chinese Communist Party brings its presence, fear comes close behind.”

Meanwhile, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said “this is wrong for our national security” and “the number one espionage threat to this country is China”.

A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Section 14 (Public Order Act) conditions in place for the gathering, the Metropolitan Police said.

For the first hour of the protest people spilled across most of the junction between Tower Hill and Tower Bridge Road.

A woman appeared to become unwell and was seen lying on the rain-covered road as a crowd, police and first-aiders gathered around her.

One person wrapped her legs in a black flag that said “liberate Hong Kong”.

Tensions seemed to escalate between protesters and the police in the section of the protest where she had been lying.

They erupted and subsided several times and officers shouted for the occasionally raucous crowd to move back.

The two sides started to collide and shortly after 3pm police were seen dragging someone from the crowd.

Others tried to grab the person back and push police away as people shouted and some screamed.

Officers shouted “withdraw, withdraw” and appeared to retreat in formation.

Protesters swore and shouted at police, who walked backwards, with their backs facing a police van that was driving out of the crowd.

Tower Hamlets council rejected the planning application for the Chinese embassy, citing a range of concerns, including that there was not enough space at the site for large protests, organisers said.

The Metropolitan Police initially objected to the development because policing protests would be challenging because of a lack of space outside the site, as well as the nearby major roads, they added.

However the force later dropped their opposition.

The change of heart by Scotland Yard emerged after Chancellor Rachel Reeves returned from a visit to Beijing and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been in contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The embassy scheme has been “called in”, which means the Government will make the final decision, after a report from the Planning Inspectorate.

Mr Tugendhat told reporters that allowing the embassy would not just “be a turning point” but a “grave mistake”.

He said: “It would be a very clear statement that our Government had chosen the wrong side and not the side that was for the defence and protection of the British people and our economic future.”

He said letting the plans go ahead would send a message to the world that the British Government “hasn’t learned the lessons of the last decade” and “just hasn’t been listening”.

“The reality is some people made decisions in 2010, 2013, you can understand at the time. You can see the hopefulness and the optimism with which they approached it.

“To have that same optimism in 2025? It’s not optimism any more, that’s just a wilful ignorance,” he added.

The embassy development comes as the UK Government seeks to forge closer trade links with Beijing, amid concerns over Chinese interference in the UK.

It has led to calls for the country to be placed in the enhanced tier of the forthcoming Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, a status reserved for countries that pose a risk to the safety of the UK’s interests.