Police are taking over the Chinese consulate building in Houston, Texas after ordering China to shut it down earlier this week.
The consulate closed at 4:00 p.m. CST on Friday after the expiration of a 72-hour closure period. Video showed police surrounding the building and setting up a perimeter with barricades.
Now. #US police taking over #CCP‘s consuate in #Houston and blocking off the building.現場直播： #美國 警察接管 #中共 #休士頓 領館 開始設置路障。 pic.twitter.com/qJpOGoBISo
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) July 24, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the consulate was ordered closed “because it was a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.”
Video shows that China’s flag and consulate emblem have been removed from the building.
Now, at #CCP‘s #Houston consulate. CCP’s national flag & emblem are all gone. Credit: @SoundOfHope_SOH
現場視頻：#中共 #休士頓 領館大門。中共的血旗和國徽都沒有了。看看是已經提前關門大吉了。 pic.twitter.com/SEkWS2oVXt— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) July 24, 2020
Police asked bystanders to leave the area unless they lived in the vicinity.
Live from #Houston: Police have arrived. They are taking over the #CCP‘s consulate, and asking people to leave this area.
Credit 視頻來源: @SoundOfHope_SOH
現場直播：美國警方到場，開始接管 #中共 #休士頓 領館，並要求民衆撤離。 pic.twitter.com/ioo1sFsAYw— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) July 24, 2020
Reporters on the ground also said that a locksmith was called into so law enforcement could gain access to the building.
According to a reporter on the ground, a locksmith was brought in and federal agents are currently outside the consulate too. https://t.co/4WZaPvRuBC
— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) July 24, 2020
Live video of the scene showed U.S. State Department agents and other identified agents guarding and entering the building.
Protesters outside the consulate building could be heard shouting slogans against the Chinese Communist Party.
Outside #CCP‘s consulate in Houston, which should be closed soon, protesters shouting “Get out, CCP” in English, and then “Eliminate the CCP, save the entire humankind” in Chinese…@SoundofHopeSOH pic.twitter.com/tmUl6nwjfq
— The Way (@waytoreturnhome) July 24, 2020
China had threatened non-compliance with the U.S. order to close the consulate, but video from late Thursday night showed consulate workers loading up boxes into a semi-trailer and a U-Haul truck.
On-site reporters said the building has been emptied, and not even trash cans have been left behind.
