Jackie Chan and Liu Yifei find themselves in midst of criticism after they reportedly spoke about the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, which began in June to oppose an extradition bill.
The protests, the result of fears around the bill allowing people accused of crimes to be sent to places including mainland China to be “subjected to the country’s opaque legal system in which due process is far from a guarantee”, evolved into clashes drawing international attention with pro-democracy protesters grow increasingly frustrated and police turning to controversial tactics such as tear gas and pepper spray to curb their opposition.
Though the bill has since been suspended, protests continues, asking for the bill to be gone for good, even forcing the Hong Kong airport to shut down for two days.
According to People, Jackie Chan (a Hong Kong native), reportedly called the recent events “sad and depressing” and expressed hope that peace would come soon.
Then, Liu Yifei, a Chinese–American actress who’ll be seen in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan, reportedly voiced her support for the Hong Kong police on social media, drawing some criticism, leading to the hashtag #BoycottMulan which trended on Twitter on Thursday.
Representatives for Chan and Liu did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment.
