February 16, 2002

Alexander Rostron said he was "rugby tackled" by police

An 18-year-old schoolboy from Leeds has described how he was pinned by the throat as Chinese police tried to break up a protest supporting the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Alexander Rostron was arrested in Beijing at a demonstration in Tiananmen Square in support of the movement on Thursday.

More than 50 foreigners were arrested and deported following the protest, in which they suddenly began unfurling yellow banners and shouting: "Falun Gong is good!"

Alexander, an A-level student at Leeds Grammar School, said he was "roughed up" by police as he tried to take part in the protest.

He said he was staying with other foreigners in a hostel which was raided on Wednesday.

But he avoided arrest because police found no Falun Gong material on him.

But as Alexander traveled to the protest the next day he said he was trailed by a policeman.

He reached the square but was thrown out when a banner was discovered in his bag.

He then went to another part of the square but was spotted and chased.

"One grabbed my coat but I was able to wriggle out and carry on.

"But then they rugby tackled me and brought me crashing to the ground."

Alexander was taken to a nearby hotel and bundled into a room where he was interrogated by eight or nine policemen.

"They tried to take my photograph.

"When I refused and bent my head down one of them grabbed me by the hair and yanked it up."

He said one of the officers then threatened to kick him.

"There were others who were thought to be the protest's ring leaders who had hair pulled out and were left with black eyes and bloody noses.

"It was an ugly scene. I think they were trying to restrain themselves on us because we are Westerners, so I shudder to think how ordinary Chinese practitioners are treated."

Alexander, who has been practising Falun Gong for two years, was finally taken to a waiting Air France jet and deported.

[...]

Britons Rosemary Katzen, 42, Lee Hall, 21, Earl Rhodes, 39, and Robert Gibson, 70, were also detained and expelled.

They said they had not broken any laws, had been manhandled by police, and had had most of their possessions taken away.

[...]