A Dutch reporter covering the Winter Olympics in Beijing was manhandled by a Chinese authority during a live shot outside the game’s opening ceremonies.
Dutch public broadcasting correspondent Sjoerd den Daas tried to finish his report while being grabbed, pushed, and yelled at by the red armband-wearing guard before the network cut away from the shot and returned to the studio anchor, a clip from the Friday broadcast showed.
“Our correspondent @sjoerddendaas was pulled away from the camera by security guards at 12.00 pm live in the NOS Journaal. Unfortunately, this is increasingly becoming a daily reality for journalists in China. He is fine and was able to finish his story a few minutes later,” the outlet tweeted in Dutch.
It was not immediately apparent why den Daas was being accosted by the guard as he filed his report outside Bird’s Nest stadium.
Widespread human rights violations and mistreatment of Chinese athletes have cast a pall over the 2022 winter games.
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Beijing had ordered international athletes not to talk about China’s aggression, oppression or genocidal abuses during the games. Communist rules also banned fans and athletes from cheering and prohibited overseas spectators.
