Chinese reporter held for alleged slap at UK Tory meeting

BIRMINGHAM, England – A Chinese journalist has been arrested on suspicion of assault after allegedly slapping a delegate at Britain’s Conservative Party conference during a session on Hong Kong.

Conference attendee Enoch Lieu tweeted that the woman hit him after he asked her to leave the meeting for being disruptive.

Video footage posted on the Hong Kong Free Press website showed a woman arguing with volunteers as they tried to remove her.

State-owned news site China Plus said state broadcaster CCTV identified her as one of its reporters, Kong Linlin, and had complained to organizers about her treatment Sunday.

West Midlands Police says officers responded to reports of a disturbance and a 48-year-old woman from London was arrested on suspicion of common assault.

Police said Monday she had been released while an investigation continues.