BBC journalist dragged to ground and arrested ‘for filming lockdown protest’ as China sends riot cops to crush dissent

A BBC journalist was dragged to the ground and arrested by several police officers tonight as anti-lockdown protests in China escalated. Foreign news cameraman Edward Lawrence is thought to have been targeted because he filmed the uprising. TwitterBBC journalist Edward Lawrence has been arrested in Shanghai[/caption] TwitterHe was dragged away by several police officers as protests escalate[/caption] FacebookIt is thought Mr Lawrence was arrested for filming the demonstrations[/caption] TwitterThe cameraman called for his friend to ‘call the consulate’[/caption] Footage shows at least four officers bundling him to the floor in cuffs in Shanghai before picking him up and leading him away. Another clip shows him being walked away from the protest as he shouted to a friend: “Call the consulate now.” China tonight deployed riot officers to crush the protests, which began after ten people died in a tower block fire in the city of Urumqi. Hundreds have marched in the streets of eight cities after the tragedy was blamed on Xi Jinping’s draconian zero-Covid lockdown. READ MORE ON THE PROTESTS DAY OF RAGE China deploys riot cops to crush protests amid fury over 'Zero Covid' lockdown HIDING THE TRUTH China censoring Qatar World Cup crowds on TV to hide maskless faces And many protesters returned to Shanghai’s streets this evening just hours after police used pepper spray to forcibly remove around 300. Human rights organisation Amnesty International said the demonstrators showed “remarkable bravery”. The protests, which have spread to about 50 universities, are said to be the largest anti-government movement in China since Tiananmen Square in 1989. Crowds have been chanting: “Lift lockdown for Urumqi, lift lockdown for Xinjiang, lift lockdown for China!” Most read in The Sun GAME OVER? I'm A Celeb winner 'revealed' hours ahead of final RIDE HORROR Winter Wonderland horror after two people 'come off' ride after 'bang' royal shock I'm A Celeb fans gobsmacked as royal Zara Tindall greets husband Mike THE PRINCE & ME Prince Harry was my toyboy aged 21 - I bet his book doesn't mention it A ROYAL SWIPE I'm A Celebrity's Mike Tindall takes swipe at Declan Donnelly in tense trial FENCED IN My neighbour's 6ft fence has ruined my view and blocks light into my home And in another remarkably rare display of dissidence against the authoritarian regime, a large group shouted: “Down with the Chinese Community Party, down with Xi Jinping. Free Urumqi!” The tower block fire on Thursday broke out on the 15th floor and rapidly spread upwards. Nine others were injured in addition to the ten dead. It had been suggested that tightly-controlled Covid lockdown rules meant many were trapped in the building during the blaze because residents were only allowed out for short periods each day. Officials deny this. But a fire department fuelled further anger by appearing to blame residents for being unable to “rescue themselves”. Many Chinese cities have been under strict lockdowns for months. A large number of residents in Urumqi were unable to leave their homes for any reason since August. Protesters have also held up blank sheets of paper during a candlelit vigil mourning the tower block victims. Others have held anti-establishment placards and called for democracy and freedom of expression. One protester in Shanghai said: “We just want our basic human rights. We can’t leave our homes without getting a test. It was the accident in Xinjiang that pushed people too far. Read More on The Sun WASH OUT Four health conditions that could be linked to not washing your bed sheets enough POTATO HEAD Foodie shares crispy roast potato recipe - they're the best you'll ever eat Another said the Covid policy is “a game and not based on science or reality”. In Beijing, a group chanted: “We don’t want masks, we want freedom.” China has deployed an army of riot cops as protests erupt across the countryReuters AFPOfficers block Wulumuqi street, named for Urumqi in Mandarin, in Shanghai[/caption] AFPFurious protesters have taken to the streets over a deadly blaze at a tower block under lockdown[/caption]