Furious backlash at Jackie Chan for backing Beijing against Hong Kong protesters as Chinese movie royalty comes out against pro-democracy activists (24 Pics)
Jackie Chan has sparked anger over his pro-Beijing comments after being asked about the ongoing unrest that has left his hometown Hong Kong in chaos.
The 65-year-old celebrity said he was proud of being Chinese and that he loved his motherland but that the 'recent events in Hong Kong' broke his heart, as he urged the public to join him in safeguarding Chinese sovereignty.
It comes as one of China's biggest actresses Liu Yifei, who is set to star as the eponymous character in Disney's upcoming Mulan remake tweeted a pro-police message to her 65million followers.
The naturalised American's Liu's comments sparked outrage among Hong Kong protesters and calls to boycott her latest film after backing Beijing authority's attempts to crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The city is bracing for another weekend of rallies with up to a million activists on the streets, calling on the public to withdraw as much money as possible from the banks to warn Beijing about the city's importance as a global financial hub.
In mainland China's Shenzhen, which border Hong Kong, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) units were seen rehearsing again today amid fears of military intervention from Beijing. Pictures show one of the soldiers carrying a huge electrified fork to be used in crowd control.
The 65-year-old celebrity said he was proud of being Chinese and that he loved his motherland during an interview with China's state broadcaster CCTV about the protests in Hong Kong. It comes as one of China 's biggest actresses Liu Yifei, who is set to star as the eponymous character in Disney's upcoming Mulan remake tweeted a pro-police message to her 65million followers
Chinese servicemen attend a crowd control exercise at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen across the bay from Hong Kong. One of the soldiers is carrying a huge electrified fork to be used in crowd control
Chan's comments were not received well with Hong Kong protesters accusing the Kung Fu star of being 'shameless' and 'eating the Communist Party's pill'.
Chan is a Chinese citizen and has spoken out in support of Beijing before, notably speaking out against protests at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Taking to Twitter, users said that people in the star's native Hong Kong 'hate' him.
'With each passing decade, Jackie Chan kind of sucks more and more' one wrote.
Another said: 'He's sucked for a very long time'
A third said: 'He's become one of China's most powerful patriotic voices, being wheeled out by state media to salute the flag in the midst of the Hong Kong crisis'.
Pro-democracy protesters attend a rally in Hong Kong tonight amid criticism of celebrity's who have praised Beijing
Hong Kong's summer of rage was sparked by broad opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland
Anti-extradition bill protesters attend a rally calling on the British and U.S. governments to monitor the implementation of 'one country two systems' principal
Chinese servicemen attend a crowd control exercise today at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center
Chinese military this week declared it would take them just 10 minutes to reach Hong Kong
His comments were not received well with Hong Kong protesters accusing the Kung Fu star of being 'shameless' and 'eating the Communist Party's pill'.
Meanwhile, Chinese-American star Liu Yifei, 31, shared a political post on Weibo, a micro-blogging site similar to Twitter that's popular in China.
Her message which fans deemed to support police brutality in Hong Kong lead to #BoycottMulan to trend worldwide.
Martial arts expert Chan, known for his pro-Beijing stance, broke silence on the pro-democracy protests during an interview with China's state broadcaster CCTV.
Chan stressed that he supported a patriotic campaign run by CCTV which prompted Chinese citizens to love their national flag.
The actor said he immediately shared CCTV's social media post about the campaign once he saw it.
The initiative, called 'the Five-starred Red Flag has 1.4 billion guards', was launched after a number of protesters threw the Chinese flag into Victoria Harbour during a rally on August 3.
The protesters have continued to urge the government to respond to their five demands, including a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, an independent enquiry into alleged police violence and universal suffrage.
Hong Kong has been rocked by protests over the past months against a now-suspended bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in courts in mainland China
He also said that the 'recent events in Hong Kong' broke his heart. He urged the public to join him in safeguarding the Chinese national flag. Pictured, a pro-China supporter fixes the Chinese National Flag on a post at North Point in Hong Kong on Sunday
Chinese state media have put out images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, while the United States has warned Beijing against sending in troops, a move many analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.
The nationalistic Global Times newspaper said there would not be a repeat of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, in which hundreds - or even thousands - are believed to have been killed, if Beijing moves to quash the protests.
Meanwhile, Liu Yifei shared a picture from the state's official paper, the People's Daily, that read 'I support Hong Kong's police, you can beat me up now'.
She added her own message reading 'What a shame for Hong Kong' and 'I also support Hong Kong police...'.
Ten weeks of protests have plunged the international finance hub into crisis with the communist mainland taking an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions 'terrorist-like'.
Her message which fans deemed to support police brutality in Hong Kong lead to #BoycottMulan to trend worldwide
Twitter users have called out Yifei for hypocrisy, citing that she lives in the US, and is a naturalised American citizen.
Others pointed out irony that she is playing the titular character in Mulan, a powerful warrior who fights imperial overlords.
One wrote: 'That highly anticipated film with such a power cast and the one's playing Mulan f**ked it all up by supporting police brutality in Hong Kong. So disappointing, Disney must be fuming rn. #BoycottMulan
Another added: '#BoycottMulan because while these people in HK are fighting for their rights while being brutalized by their own police, Liu Yifei is sitting her happy a** down in the US enjoying the rights those people don't have while supporting the police brutality from afar.
A third commented: 'Disney's Mulan actress, Liu Yifei, supports police brutality and oppression in Hong Kong. Liu is a naturalised American citizen. it must be nice. meanwhile she p***es on people fighting for democracy.
Twitter users have called out Yifei for hypocrisy, citing that she lives in the US, and is a naturalised American citizen.
Both the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and the central government's liaison office in the city strongly condemned the demonstrators' behaviour.
Leung Chun-ying, former leader of the city and the Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said he would offer one million Hong Kong dollars (£105,000) to whomever that could provide leads to help police catch the suspects.
Explaining why he felt so strongly about the cause, Chan said: 'On one hand, [I] needed to express my most basic patriotism as a Hong Kong and Chinese citizen. I am one of the flag guards.
'On the other hand, I hoped to express our collective voice through participating in such a campaign.'
Anti-extradition bill protesters react from tear gas as riot police try to disperse them during a protest at Sham Shui Po on August 11 in Hong Kong in the 10th week of violent showdowns
Pro-Democracy protesters throw back tear gas fired by the police during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Sham Shui Po district on August 11
Chan expressed his patriotism 'as a Hong Kong and Chinese citizen' during the interview
The star continued: 'I have been to a lot of countries in recent years and our country is developing quickly. Wherever I went, I felt proud of being Chinese.'
He concluded: 'Hong Kong is my birthplace and my hometown. China is my home country.
'I love my country. I love my hometown. I truly hope peace can return to Hong Kong as quickly as possible.'
Hong Kong has been rocked by protests over the past months against a now-suspended bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in Communist Party-controlled courts in mainland China.
The mass display of opposition to the bill has morphed into a wider pro-democracy movement that has thrown down the most significant challenge to Beijing's authority since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The protesters have continued to urge the government to respond to their five demands, including a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, an independent enquiry into alleged police violence and universal suffrage.
Riot police use pepper spray to disperse anti-extradition bill protesters during a mass demonstration after a woman was allegedly shot in the eye during a rally on Sunday. Police and protesters have clashed outside the Terminal 1 of the airport
A photographer is seen trying to separate a policeman from a woman on the floor. The scuffles broke out in the evening between police and protesters after an injured person was taken out of the main terminal by medics
Riot police use pepper spray on protesters. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Hong Kong to exercise restraint and investigate evidence of its forces firing tear gas at protesters in ways banned under international law
Flights at the city's airport have been disrupted for two days in a row after activists staged demonstrations at the terminal building.
Protesters clashed with police at Hong Kong's international airport on Tuesday evening after flights were disrupted for a second day, plunging the former British colony deeper into turmoil.
Officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons confronted the protesters who used luggage carts to barricade entrances to the airport terminal.
Pro-democracy protesters try to occupy the departures hall during another demonstration at Hong Kong's international airport today. Hong Kong airport authority has suspended all departure check-ins on a second day due to the demonstration
A tourist (central) gives her luggage to security guards as she tries to enter the departures gate during another demonstration by pro-democracy protesters today. The activists have gathered to denounce alleged police violence and call for reforms
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Hong Kong to exercise restraint and investigate evidence of its forces firing tear gas at protesters in ways banned under international law.
The city leader Carrier Lam reiterated her support for the police Tuesday and said they had had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using 'the lowest level of force'.
Beijing has also made ominous declarations, branding the anti-extradition bill's activists, in their 10th week of protests, 'mobsters' and likened them to terrorism.
Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters (bottom) block access to the departure gates during another demonstration at Hong Kong's international airport today. The airport authority has advised members of the public not to come to the airport
Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters (centre) crowd the area in front of the departure gates to block access. The airport re-opened this morning after around 200 flights were cancelled yesterday due to a 5,000-strong protest in the terminal building
In this combination of photos taken on Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, protesters wear eyepatches during a demonstration at the airport in Hong Kong. Protesters who have occupied Hong Kong International Airport wore bandages over one eye in a sign of solidarity with a comrade reportedly hit with a type of non-lethal ammunition known as a beanbag round
