China joins row over tourists’ complaint of ill-treatment by Swedish police after hostel booking confusion
Foreign ministry, embassy in Stockholm make ‘solemn representations’ after man fails to make proper room reservation and is asked to leave
An incident involving a family of Chinese tourists who were refused permission to wait in the lobby of a Swedish hostel after arriving a day early has escalated into a diplomatic incident after the Chinese embassy in Stockholm issued a complaint to the local authorities.
The people at the centre of the dispute – a man and his parents – arrived at the Generator Stockholm hostel just after midnight on September 2, according to the son’s post on WeChat, the Chinese instant messaging platform.
As they were not allowed to check in until 2pm that day, the family asked if they could wait in the lobby, but staff refused and called the police, the social media post said.
A receptionist at the hostel declined to comment on the specific incident but told the South China Morning Post that the building did not have a lounge for people to rest in, only a reception area.
The Chinese tourist, whose identity has not been verified – he used only the name “Zeng” online – did not respond to the Post’s request to join the WeChat group in which he made the comments.
On social media the tourist said he and his parents were forcibly removed by the police, despite his parents feeling sick.
He said also that he and his parents were driven away from the hotel in a police car and dropped off near a cemetery. A video accompanying the post appeared to show his father lying on a pavement with his wife sitting beside him, both of them crying, as two female police officers looked on.
