Footage purporting to show clashes between residents and police in Beijing over coronavirus lockdown measures has emerged.
Officers were accused of beating the locals who had refused to pay a mandatory £3 ‘exit fee’ for a door pass, which would allow them to enter or leave the village, according to accounts.
It is said that the residents of a village in Xihongmen Town had gathered to protest against the compulsory charge before the police arrived to crack down on the demonstration.
Social media footage has purported to show physical altercations between residents and authorities in Beijing over an alleged 30 yuan (£3.4) ‘exit fee’ due to a coronavirus lockdown
A clip shared by high-profile Chinese science writer Fang Zhouzi on Twitter appears to show unrest outside a checkpoint in the village with a mob of people seemingly surrounding village officials.
A separate clip, also shared by US-based Mr Fang, purports to show a few locals urging relevant officers to come out of an office as they can be heard shouting ‘the ones that beat people, come out’.
In a third video from the same source, one man speaks from behind the camera: ’30 yuan exit fee. If you don’t pay, they will beat you. Won’t you say the police are tough?’
MailOnline cannot independently verify the authenticity of the footage. There have been no reports from official Chinese media outlets regarding the trending videos.
Accounts suggested police arrived at the scene clamp down on the protest after residents had gathered to voice their anger. No official Chinese outlets have reported on the trending videos
According to New York-based Chinese-language broadcaster New Tang Dynasty Television, one person was arrested by police after protesters had gathered outside the registration office for the village pass.
The news outlet claimed that it had obtained a notice issued by the village officials.
It said according to the notice, all temporary residents in the village must pay 30 yuan (£3.4) ‘comprehensive service fee’ between July 10 and 13 to obtain the permit or face being kicked out of the village.
One anonymous local official told the station that everyone in the village would have to pay the £3 fee because it was the community’s regulation.
China reported on Tuesday five new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 13. Pictured, people ride electric bicycles on a road on July 14 following a coronavirus outbreak in Beijing
He said: ‘This village started to impose an enclosed management style from June 16. All people underwent three nucleic acid tests.
‘The charging of 30 yuan comprehensive service fee for the entry-and-exit certificate this time was required by the village. Everyone who lives there must abide by the rules.’
The New Tang Dynasty Television is linked to the Falungong movement, a banned Chinese religious-spiritual group branded as an ‘evil cult’ by Communist Party chiefs.
Radio France International, which also reported on the trending videos, said the alleged clashes represented the escalating social conflicts in Beijing due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Situated in south-west Beijing, Xihongmen is a 10-minute drive from the Xinfadi market, which has been linked to a recent coronavirus outbreak in the capital city.
The reported altercations took place after the Xihongmen authorities adjusted the area’s disease risk level from ‘high’ to ‘medium’. The re-classification was reported by state-controlled Beijing News.
Pictured: A police vehicle is seen outside an entrance of the Xinfadi wholesale market, which has been closed following cases of coronavirus infections in Beijing, June 16, 2020
China reported on Tuesday five new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 13, compared with eight cases a day earlier, the health authority said.
All of the new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement. There were no new deaths. Beijing, which saw a surge in new coronavirus cases a few weeks ago, reported no new cases for the eighth consecutive day.
China also reported five new asymptomatic patients, down from six a day earlier.
As of July 13, mainland China had a total of 83,605 confirmed coronavirus cases, it said.
China’s death toll from the coronavirus remained unchanged at 4,634.