A BBC journalist has been beaten and arrested by police while covering anti-lockdown protests in Shanghai.
Footage on social media shows several officers crowding around China-based journalist and camera operator Edward Lawrence, dragging him along the ground.
In one of the videos he yells out "call the consulate now!" as he is taken away by police.
A spokesperson for the BBC said in a statement Lawrence was beaten up by the police.
"The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released," the statement said.
"It is very worrying that one of our journalists was attacked in this way whilst carrying out his duties."
According to the BBC spokesperson, Lawrence was later released and officials claimed he was taken away as they feared he could've caught COVID from the crowd of protesters, an explanation the BBC said was not "credible".
The journalist's arrest comes as anti-lockdown protests grip several cities including Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou, where people have demanded an end to China's strict COVID-19 restrictions.
Reuters reported a fire at a residential high-rise building in the city of Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, also triggered protests. Videos of the incident posted on social media led to accusations that lockdowns were a factor in the blaze, which killed 10 people.
Hundreds of activists filled the streets on Sunday to openly call for an end to the rule of President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the deadly fire.
The anti-lockdown protests are the biggest demonstrations since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Sky News reported.
