This is the moment a “foreign national” speaking with what appears to be an English accent is pinned to the ground by security guards in China for refusing to wear a mask.
The shocking incident now trending on Chinese social media reportedly took place as the man tried to enter the gated community where he and his ‘Chinese wife’ live yesterday (14th April).
Scenes filmed by neighbours at the residential district on Qingnian Road in Chaoyang District in Beijing show two uniformed guards pinning the heavyset man to the ground, while a third holds him down using riot control equipment.
During the altercation, the expat, who according to his wife was drunk at the time, shouts: “I’m telling you right now. If I have the virus, you have the virus!”
Credit: AsiaWire
As residents gather around, one security guard says: “Foreigners must also obey Chinese laws when in China.”
Another guard explains: “We tried to give him a mask. He didn’t want to wear it.”
He adds: “He even smashed my phone.”
According to Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times, the man, whose name and nationality have not been disclosed, was stopped at the gated community because he failed to produce an entry-exit permit and refused to wear a face mask.
Security guards blocked him as he allegedly tried to force his way in – also smashing one of their phones – forcing staff to restrain him despite his larger stature, the report said.
The Chinese-language Global Times report also appears to misquote the man, claiming he had shouted: “I don’t have the virus – you have the virus!”
In the footage, the man with an English accent is released from the ground as members of the Beijing Public Security Bureau arrive.
His Chinese-speaking spouse, who is wearing a striped top and who arrived later, argues with neighbours and explains to a policeman that they are husband and wife.
During the commotion, the expat appears to produce a document from his wallet, waving it in the faces of surrounding security officers.
The foreign national’s Chinese-speaking wife 
A foreign national speaking with an English accent is pinned to the ground by security guards inside a Beijing gated community for allegedly refusing to wear a face mask
It was reportedly his residential district’s entry-exit permit which he had refused to show earlier.
In the video, his wife asks about his face mask, while he replies: “No, I forgot it.
“But that’s got nothing to do with spreading the virus.
“This is to stop you from spreading it to other people, isn’t it?”
An image showed the foreign national with his hands bound by cable ties and being led away by Beijing police, while in another picture he is shown later wearing a mask and has been returned to the gated community.
It was unclear at the time of writing whether any charges were pressed, but Beijing police are understood to be investigating the incident.
Unconfirmed reports carrying a group chat screenshot said the expat’s wife offered an apology for her husband’s actions.
She reportedly wrote: “Dear neighbours, this foreigner is my husband. He’s a long-term resident of our gated community.
“He had a bit too much to drink today and forgot to wear a mask, so security guards refused him entry and pushed him.
“Then a whole group of guards arrived and hit him.”
She also claimed “more than 10 guards” had pinned her husband to the ground, despite the video showing two restraining him, while a third stood nearby using the riot control pole.
She apologised for the incident, but added her husband felt she “should not have been treated that way”.
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Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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