By Robin Millard, AFP
A young protestor hurled a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he gave a speech at Britain's Cambridge University on Monday, in a dramatic end to a five-nation tour of Europe.
The Western-looking youth shouted "This is a scandal" as he interrupted the Chinese leader towards the end of a speech on Chinese history and its role in the globalised world on the last day of a swing through the continent.
"This dictator here, how can you listen to the lies he's telling? You are not challenging him," he said, throwing the shoe from near the back of a packed auditorium.
The shoe landed about a yard from the Chinese premier. Security officials went on to the stage and kicked it off, while others leaped on the protestor, who also blew a whistle as he threw the well-worn sports shoe.
As he was bundled out, he shouted to audience members: "Stand up and protest," to which some spectators — most of whom appeared to be Chinese students — retorted: "Shame on you, shame on you."
After the interruption, Wen reproached him, and received a round of applause from the audience, who were apparently mostly Chinese students.
The premier said: "This despicable behaviour cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK."
The incident — echoing the protest by Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who gained global fame by throwing his footwear at former US president George W. Bush — came after Wen gave a largely anodyne speech in Cambridge.
Security was tight for entry to the concert hall where the speech took place. Outside some 200 demonstrators, apparently mostly pro-Chinese, were kept at bay in two pens on the pavement.
Before the event began supporters waved Red Chinese flags, while some banged drums and there was a colourful paper Dragon — although one banner from a protestor said: "Remember Tiananmen."
Earlier in the day Wen had held talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London where he promised to join urgent and coordinated action to avert a global economic disaster.
"This financial crisis is a global one. No single country can remain immune and address this in isolation. We are sitting in the same boat and we need to all work together to overcome the difficulties," Wen said.
Wen's first trip to Britain since 2006 marks the end of a high-profile visit to Europe that has taken him to Germany, Spain, the EU headquarters in Brussels and the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.
As well as boosting trade ties, Wen's trip also aims to mend relations with European leaders strained over the issue of Tibet.
China is particularly sensitive about Tibet questions ahead of the 50th anniversary of the March 1959 uprising in that led to the escape of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama into exile.
Security has been tight in Tibet's capital Lhasa since riots erupted in the city on March 14 last year against Chinese rule, and then spread to neighbouring Tibetan-inhabited provinces.
The issue again resurfaced as some 50 pro-Tibetan and 100 pro-Chinese demonstrators gathered outside Brown's Downing Street office for rival protests to coincide with Wen's talks with Brown. Five pro-Tibetan protesters were arrested on Sunday.
Brown made a brief diplomatic reference to Tibet at their joint press conference.
"Premier Wen has overseen improvements in social and economic rights in China which have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty over the last three decades," he said.
"But the UK will continue through our regular dialogue to seek rapid progress towards all international human rights standards, and I urged further dialogue on the Chinese government to resolve the underlying issues in Tibet."
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