Chinese-American actor Liu Yifei has received online backlash after voicing support for the Hong Kong police on social media this week, amid the city’s anti-government protests, reported BBC.
There were calls to boycott Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan, in which she plays the protagonist. The hashtag #BoycottMulan was trending on Twitter on Friday, featuring in more than 21,000 posts. Liu’ s name made it to more than 16,000 posts.
#BoycottMulan how tone deaf do you have to be to support police brutality when you just filmed a character who is supposed to stand against oppression in its raw form? Pound sand. pic.twitter.com/Ug8pfh3JPN
— Tom S. Foolery (@foolery_s) August 16, 2019
On Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, where she has 65.6 million followers, Liu shared a post by People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s Communist Party. It read, “I support Hong Kong police. You can beat me now,” as well as “What a shame for Hong Kong."
The quote was a reference to a statement made by Fu Guohao, a reporter for People’s Daily affiliate, Global Times who was mobbed by anti-government protesters at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday evening because they suspected he was a Chinese undercover agent. Liu included the hashtag in Chinese that translates to #IalsosupportHongKongPolice.
While the People’s Daily post has been widely shared by Chinese celebrities in similar social media posts, Liu’s was singled out because she is headlining a major Hollywood production.
#BoycottMulan @Disney
— Y E (@yeeeeh13) August 17, 2019
Can’t see any reason for Mulan to support such brutality. pic.twitter.com/ALxBpi1LMP
https://twitter.com/vanessakiu24/status/1162619154806931456
So she’s supporting Hong Kong police which have been using excessive force and abusing their power when handling protestors for the past 3 months.
— penguin gamer (@PenguinGamer324) August 17, 2019
It’s no longer about political views, it’s about HUMANITY and CONSCIENCE.#BoycottMulan pic.twitter.com/8TsNecltUU
https://twitter.com/InkKatana/status/1162544089100894209
https://twitter.com/Wigtingz/status/1162434854358802432
The Hong Kong police has been widely accused of using excessive force against protesters and even journalists. The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, also voiced her concern about the police personnel's use of force and echoed calls for an independent inquiry into police handling of the protests.
Critics of Liu’s Weibo post noted the irony of an American citizen banking her star turn in an American film while siding with authorities suppressing calls for democracy – a core value in the West, as many Twitter users were quick to point out.
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