Chinese students in Edinburgh were urged to beat a pro-democracy undergraduate to death

Chinese citizens were urged to beat an Edinburgh University student to death for demonstrating in support of Hong Kong democracy.

The 20-year-old protester, from Chengdu in central China, was photographed in Princes Street wearing a sign saying that he supported Hong Kong citizens’ demands for free elections and an end to police brutality.

The following day he was secretly photographed at Edinburgh airport while escorting his mother to her flight.

Both pictures were circulated on Weibo, the Chinese social media site, by someone who believed he was returning to Chengdu. The post contained the flight number and a call for him to be arrested by police or assaulted by citizens. The post was titled: “Brothers from Chengdu, beat him to death.”

Hong Kong demonstrators have