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British police arrested a survivor of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown and raided his home after he stepped out in front of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s motorcade, police and campaigners said on 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.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Xi Jinping's UK state visit
London police said Jiang, a 47-year-old academic and a blogger for human rights group Amnesty International, was arrested on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour”.
Two Tibetan woman were also arrested with Jiang and the homes of all three were searched.
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 British government of glossing over human rights abuses in China for the sake of investment deals.

Watch: Human rights protestors greet President Xi Jinping on his first day of state visit to Britain
His wife Johanna Zhang told of her shock at the arrest and subsequent search of their home.
“I was really shocked. I couldn’t believe that such a thing could happen in the UK,” she said.
“It reminded me of the time when our home was raided by police in China before we fled, before we became political refugees. It’s almost like our life in exile was turned upside down,” she said.
READ MORE: Chinese president met with pomp and protest in Britain: the latest updates on the first full day of Xi Jinping’s UK state visit
Zhang said police took a computer, a laptop, a tablet and a USB key and ordered her husband not to come within 100 metres of Xi.
She said he was holding up two Amnesty signs when he was arrested – one reading “End Autocracy” and the other saying “Democracy Now”.
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.
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.”
Jiang played an “active role in the 1989 pro-democracy movement” in China, according to Amnesty’s website.
He was arrested in China in 1995 and fled in 2003, initially settling in Sweden.
Hundreds – by some estimates more than a thousand – died after the Communist Party sent tanks in June 1989 to crush demonstrations on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful sit-in to demand democratic reforms.
 


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Xi Jinping's UK state visit

British police raid Tiananmen survivor’s home after he protests during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s UK state visit

Protester and supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping gathered outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday. Photo: AP

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 British Prime Minister David Cameron (right) greets China's President Xi Jinping at Chequers, his official country retreat, on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (2nd R) plant an oak tree symbolizing the China-Britain friendship in Cameron's country retreat, Chequers. Photo: Xinhua

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero takes a selfie with President Xi Jinping and British prime minister David Cameron during their club visit. Photo: AP

British Prime Minister David Cameron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they drink a pint of peer at a pub in Princess Risborough near Chequers, northwest of London, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Chinese President Xi Jinping sits beside Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in a horse-drawn carriage on the route along the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Photo: AP

Activists wave the Tibetan flag during the procession. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong's Occupy Central protest leader Joshua Wong (left) and blind Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng were also there. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Banners held by Xi's well-wishers welcome the Chinese president to Britain. Xi's supporters at the event outnumbered counter-protesters. Photo: EPA

China's first lady Peng Liyuan sits with Britain's Prince Philip as she is driven by carriage to Buckingham Palace. Photo: Reuters

A group of Xi's supporters wave Chinese and British flags as they await the Chinese president's arrival. Photo: EPA

Xi's well-wishers don "I (heart) China" t-shirts. Photo: AP

People in dragon dance costume prepare to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: EPA

China flags are fixed on poles beside Union flags along The Mall towards Buckingham Palace in London ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain. Photo: AP

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New | British police raid Tiananmen survivor’s home after he protests during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s UK state visit