- The pianist’s livestream went viral after a Chinese group insisted that the pianist’s face be hidden.
- The pianist protested, the group became enraged, and the confrontation escalated to shouting.
- Brendan Kavanagh told BI he was filming at the station and had the right to stream it in public.
A confrontation between a Chinese group and a pianist at a London train station has gone viral on YouTube.
Pianist Brendan Kavanagh, who has about 2.19 million subscribers on YouTube, began live streaming with a cameraman on Friday from the public piano at St. Pancras International Station.
“It was very cold in London today, about -4 degrees Celsius, but someone put purple balloons on top of the piano so we’ll be okay,” Kavanagh joked before starting to play. .
In the background of the video, a group of about six people can be seen holding the People’s Republic of China flag and yellow paper. One of them, a woman, came forward with her cell phone and filmed Kavanaugh performing with another pianist.
A fellow pianist took over the solo performance, and Kavanagh asked another woman in the group if she wanted to dance to the music, but she declined.
A few minutes later, Kavanagh was approached by a group. His entire subsequent 10-minute interaction was captured and broadcast on Kavanaugh’s livestream.
“We’re here to film for Chinese TV, did you film all of us with your camera?” asked the woman who was filming him.
Business Insider could not immediately confirm her claims that she works for Chinese television.
Kavanagh said he didn’t know if his camera captured their faces. “Are we not allowed?” he asked.
“We’re not allowed because it’s a Chinese TV station,” the woman answered.
Mr. Kavanaugh protested that he was livestreaming in a public place.
The men in the group said they were protecting their rights to their “voice and image”, adding that the group had since made “agreements with others” not to publish their faces online.
The man went on to threaten legal action.
Kavanaugh continued the discussion. “We’re in a free country. We’re not in communist China now, you know?” he said.
The man responded, “I’m sorry, but this is racist.”
When Kavanaugh reached for a flag held by one of the women, the man began yelling at her not to touch her.
“You’re not their private security guard.”
Two police officers arrived shortly afterwards and the group explained their grievances.
“You’re in a public place,” one of the officers was heard telling them on the livestream. “If they’re filming, they have the right to film in a public place.”
The other officer told Kavanagh to stop filming and said: “This is a police matter and you are not allowed to put this on your YouTube channel.” Kavanagh’s cameraman continued filming.
Police then spoke with the group off camera. The police officer who told Kavanaugh to stop the livestream then returned.
The group asked Kavanaugh not to use their footage on his YouTube channel, she said. “They earn money and work for companies, so their faces are not shown on TV or channels,” said a police officer.
Mr. Kavanaugh refused. “You are not their private security guard,” he said.
The officer also said the group accused Kavanaugh of making racist remarks and that he tried to make indecent touching on one of them.
“Listen, they’re waving a communist flag. I said you’re waving a communist flag, too,” Kavanaugh said. “Is that racism?”
Word of meeting Kavanagh spread rapidly.
Kavanagh told BI that the group may have been offended by mistakenly referring to them as a Japanese TV crew early in the livestream.
The YouTuber said he knew a friend who was filming for a Japanese TV station nearby and initially thought the Chinese group was part of the same team.
His video was viewed 3.5 million times on Monday evening, three days after the livestream ended. Also, It became a hot topic in X.
A clip of the encounter was posted on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, where the group has also been criticized.
Kavanaugh said it was ironic that his attempt to remove their images from his video caused the group to go viral. “This is a classic Streisand Effect video,” he said, referring to when someone who tries to hide from the public eye becomes more visible through their efforts.
Kavanagh said the online backlash was also directed at the police officer who ordered the filming to stop.
“I think her behavior was completely erratic,” Kavanaugh said.
British Transport Police did not respond to multiple requests for comment from BI.
British law allows filming in public places, and police have no power to stop them.
Mr. Kavanaugh also emphasized his position that he would not make controversial statements about the group.
Portrait rights have recently become a hot topic in China after a former state-run company executive was photographed holding hands in public with a woman who is not his wife.
China’s civil law states that each person has a legal right to their own image or likeness and that it cannot be published online without consent. No such comprehensive protection exists in the UK.
Kavanagh showed BI an email from YouTube stating that a privacy complaint had been filed against his video and that it would be reviewed.
“But now millions of people are watching it,” he said.
The Chinese Embassy in London and Google did not respond to requests for comment from BI.