I was detained by Chinese police after classmate in Britain spied on me
The male voice at the end of the line identified themselves as a member of Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), a network of student-led organisations which claimed to represent Chinese citizens studying abroad. They said they knew where Haoyu lived, where his parents lived, and that there would be repercussions for what he had done.
Haoyu, whose real name has not been used in order to protect his identity, was among several hundred protesters who had gathered outside the Chinese embassy in London on November 27 2022 to demonstrate against president Xi Jinping's Covid policies. Known as the White Paper Movement, the rally was one of dozens organised across the world to show solidarity with rare anti-government protests that erupted in China several weeks earlier.
Though ostensibly reacting to strict lockdown measures under Mr Xi, the demonstrations were also part of a broader protest against Chinese oppression. Wearing Covid masks to obscure their faces, protesters filled the street outside 49 Portland Place in Marylebone and held up blank sheets of paper – a symbol of China's pervasive censorship.
Haoyu is one of several students who The Telegraph has spoken to about the real-life consequences of Chinese dissidence in the UK.
Students described a similar pattern of receiving flak from their peers after speaking critically about China, before the situation escalated to more formal punishments.
It comes amid growing fears that UK universities are failing to protect China-critical students for fear of jeopardising lucrative ties with Beijing.
There are around 150,000 Chinese students enrolled at British universities, who collectively contribute around £2.3 billion in fees each year.
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