UK police raid Tiananmen survivor's home over Xi protest

British police arrested a survivor of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and raided his home after he stepped out in front of Chinese President Xi Jinping's motorcade, police and campaigners said Friday.

Shao Jiang could be seen being dragged away by several police officers after he breached a security barrier and stood alone in front of the cars on Wednesday in footage aired on Channel 4 television.

London police said Jiang, an academic and blogger for human rights group Amnesty International, was initially arrested for entering a secure area and then also on suspicion of "conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour".

Two Tibetan woman were also arrested on suspicion of conspiring with Jiang. The homes of all three were searched and they were bailed on Thursday after being detained overnight as the investigation continues.

Xi's state visit to Britain this week has proved controversial, with campaigners accusing the government of glossing over human rights abuses in China for the sake of investment deals.

His wife Johanna Zhang was quoted by The Independent newspaper expressing shock at the arrest.

"All he was doing in the morning was holding protest signs. They were Amnesty International signs calling for the Chinese to end the crackdown," she said.

"The police here in the UK are now doing the same things as in China," she said.

Police took away computer equipment from their home, The Independent reported.

Amnesty representative Allan Hogarth said: "This looks like a very heavy handed response to a peaceful demonstration.

"The police need to urgently explain to Shao Jiang why they entered his property and took his possessions"," he said.

Paul Golding from the Tibet Society told AFP that the raids were "completely out of order and completely out of touch with the offence that they supposedly committed."

"All they wanted to do is make sure that the Chinese president saw their message," he said.

London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "We facilitate peaceful protests... but we will also investigate possible criminality that could put the safety of London at risk."

Source: AFP