A British pianist and YouTuber has been demanded by an enraged Chinese TV crew to delete a video that shows his face, even though it was filmed in a public place.
Brendan Kavanaugh, who regularly livestreams his performances to more than 2 million subscribers, was playing the piano in a London shopping center on Friday when he appeared to be playing the piano in front of hundreds of viewers. Clashes broke out and police were called in to calm the situation.
A clip of the incident subsequently went viral on X, racking up millions of views.
GB News commentator Lee Harris wrote: “This is insane.”
“YouTuber and pianist Brendan Kavanagh was legally performing and filming in a public place. A visiting group from communist China didn't like it and said they couldn't film. The police were terrible. . This is England, not China.”
At the beginning of the broadcast, a group of Chinese people holding Chinese flags were seen standing nearby and enjoying the performance, but when they realized they were being filmed, they approached them and told them they were not allowed. That's what it means.
“We came here for Chinese TV. Did you film us all with your camera?” one of the women asks.
“I don't know – are we allowed?” Are we not allowed? ” Kavanaugh said.
“We are for Chinese TV, so this is not allowed because it cannot be published,” she says.
“Wouldn't that get us in trouble with the Chinese government?” Kavanaugh asked. “So, according to Chinese law, filming here is prohibited?”
Then a man from the group intervened. “Basically, we'd rather not see our faces on TV, no matter what we're doing,” he says.
“So what happens?” Kavanaugh said.
“Please don't do that,” the man replied.
“That's really appreciated. We're very sensitive about this. We're really sorry, but we love your music. We don't want our voices or pictures taken. I We all can't share our images online. It's our right. It's legal, it's a right we protect, and we can't share our images online. I don't want it to be shared.”
Kavanaugh then warned that he was “going to pursue legal action,” and as Kavanaugh continued to make his claims, he said, “I'm sorry, but this is the end of the story.”
“We’re in a free country, dude,” Mr. Kavanaugh shot back. “You're not in communist China right now.”
“I’m sorry, but this is racist,” the man said.
“We're in a free country, dude, and we can film wherever we want,” Kavanaugh says. “Call the police if you like. When you're in Rome, you do what the Romans do.”
Later, another woman in the group told Kavanaugh, “We have a right to image, and I have a right to choose,” adding, “I don't want our image shared.”
She insisted she was a British citizen and urged Mr Kavanaugh to point out the Chinese flag. “You have a Chinese flag. Show me the Chinese flag,” he said, reaching for the flag.
Then, the man who was with the group suddenly exploded in anger.
“Why are you touching her? Stop touching her!” he yelled at Kavanaugh, who seemed surprised. “Please, you're not my age. Please don't touch my girlfriend,” the man yelled.
Two police officers soon arrived, and the male police officer explained to the Chinese man: If they're filming, they have the right. If they're filming and you're in a public place, your face could be visible in the video. ”
After speaking with the group, the female officer asked to speak to Mr. Kavanaugh and requested that his camera be turned off, but Mr. Kavanaugh refused.
She suggests he was “shouting communist comments at them.”
“No, I said, 'Aren't you waving a communist flag?'” he says.
“And that hand — (was it) going towards her?” Was it going to touch her at that point? ” the officer asks.
“I wasn't trying to touch her, that's why I had the camera,” he says.
“They approach you and ask you to delete the video and not use it on your channel because they are making money and they work for a company and can't show their faces,” police said. the official says.
Kavanaugh accused her of acting like their “private security guard.”
“We're in a free country, we're in a democracy, we're not China, and it's not racism, that's the truth,” he says.
“That's true, but don't keep saying things like that,” the officer says.
“What do you say, this is a free country?” he says.
“No, we are not China,” she says.
British barrister Daniel Shensmith, who goes by BlackBeltBarrister on YouTube, said Kavanaugh was completely right in this situation.
“There is no automatic right to privacy when you are in a public place,” he said.
“If you're walking around in a very public open space… or they come up to what's obviously some kind of public event where people are filming, there's no automatic right to privacy. “We will not force anyone to take it down, so please do not publish the footage online or provide us with a copy of it.” ”
