Rise in PRC’s Transnational Repression On Display at London Tibet Protest
China Embassy Personnel Brandish Live Stun Batons As Suspected PRC Agent Provokes Crowd
For Immediate Release
4 July, 2026
Contacts:
Tenzin Rabga Tashi, Free Tibet: [email protected]
Pema Yoko, Tibet Action Institute: [email protected]
Rise in PRC’s Transnational Repression On Display at London Tibet Protest China Embassy Personnel Brandish Live Stun Batons As Suspected PRC Agent Provokes Crowd
London, 4 July 2026: For the first time ever recorded, UK Chinese Embassy security personnel used stun batons to threaten Tibet protesters standing just outside the entrance of the building on Portland Place in central London on the evening of 3 July 2026. At the same time, a masked man who has been reported to police for disrupting multiple Tibetan events in recent months hurled profanity and abuse at the crowd and had to be restrained by police. The unidentified man in his 30-40s is suspected of being an agitator for China. The incident occurred during an emotional protest and vigil organised by Tibetans living in the UK over the self-immolation of a Tibetan man, Lobga Rangzen, outside the UN in New York on 2 July [1].
“While I was protesting near the entrance of the Chinese Embassy, two uniformed Chinese security personnel stood just behind the glass doors shouting and pointing live stun batons in our direction. My video footage [2] clearly shows the stun batons were sparking and crackling, I was scared they would come out and use them on us. The Chinese embassy personnel acted as if they were in China, even though we are in London and have the right to protest and enjoy the freedoms that my brothers and sisters inside Tibet do not have,” said Yignyen, a Tibetan activist living in exile in the UK.
“The fact that unidentified Chinese security personnel threatened Tibetans while we were just outside honouring the memory of Lobga Rangzen clearly shows that they feel emboldened by the Ethnic Erasure Law that China passed on 1st July [3]. This is extremely concerning for the future Chinese Mega-Embassy that the UK government has controversially given the green light to [4] and potential increase in transnational repression. On behalf of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers and all affected communities who are persecuted by the CCP, I urge the British government to re-think granting permission to the Mega-Embassy and call on China to repeal the Ethnic Erasure Law so that we can all feel safe again here in the UK.” said Tenzin Rabga Tashi, campaigns lead for Free Tibet.
“China’s campaign to erase Tibetan identity does not stop at Tibet’s borders. While China seeks to control every aspect of life inside Tibet, they also aim to intimidate Tibetans and our allies here in the UK,” said Pema Yoko from Tibet Action Institute, “Threatening peaceful protesters with live stun batons is completely unacceptable. But these tactics only strengthen our resolve. As Lobga Rangzen reminded us in his final message, we will continue the struggle for Tibetan independence until Tibet is free.” she continued.
Tibetans and Tibet Groups in the UK organised the protest as an urgent response to Lobga Rangzen’s self-immolation. Around 150 Tibetans and supporters were in attendance at the protest [5]. The protest and vigil was organised jointly by Free Tibet, International Tibet Network, Students for a Free Tibet London, Tibetan Community in Britain, Tibet Action Institute and Voluntary Tibetan Advocacy Group.
Notes to Editors:
[1] Lobga Rangzen, Tibetan male, 52 years old. carried out a self-immolation protest against China’s rule in Tibet on the evening of 2 July, 2026 outside the UN in New York. He was the Regional President of the Tibetan National Congress, see their press statement here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaUfFoqR5GT/
[2] Digital assets available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fFBikjcixLxEKuK1dNcSOurfYRPDuwTZ?usp=sharing
Video of Chinese Embassy security personnel on YouTube:
Direct link to video of Chinese Embassy security personnel: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19cnL2MtmV_7Cp_qO81WvnTB3o8TEIh81/view?usp=sharing
Direct link to video of suspected CCP agitator: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mWh8iJBPso7rAodoHbqJGLOidZat1zvO/view?usp=sharing
[3] Article 63 of China’s so-called Ethnic Unity Law gives Chinese authorities the right to act against organisations and individuals outside China that “undermine ethnic unity and progress or create ethnic division”. This appears to give the Chinese government the legal authority to go after advocates for ethnic minorities who live abroad. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx23dwx0232o
[4] The UK government gave the approval for the Chinese Embassy to relocate in January 2026. This was a controversial decision given security concerns. See: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/20/china-mega-embassy-approved-london
[5] Photos by Tibetan Heritage/Tibetan Community in Britain from the protest available here: https://www.facebook.com/londonney/posts/pfbid0GbjC5JJLVHyAzQs9PNNg8xEuyjjU4gUZcTCkhqw2LEBsPTsnW15nq9JwuZDFnihgl
