SALT LAKE CITY — Hong Kong protesters have called for a boycott of Disney’s live-action “Mulan” remake after the movie’s star, Crystal Liu Yifei, expressed support for the city’s police, CNN reports.
Yifei expressed support for the police who, according to protesters, have been using excessive force to stop the political unrest in the city.
“I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong,” she posted on Weibo, a Twitter-like Chinese social media platform, according to CNN.
The hashtag #BoycottMulan sprang up on Twitter, a social media platform that is banned in China. Just hours later, the hashtag appeared in Hong Kong and the United States.
Several Twitter users called out Yifei for being American, according to CNN.
“Liu is a naturalized American citizen. It must be nice. Meanwhile she pisses on people fighting for democracy,” one person tweeted.
“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?” another user wrote.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, other social media members called out the Walt Disney Company, threatening to boycott Disneyland in the process. In fact, Hong Kong Disneyland has seen an attendance hit since the protests started. But that may likely be because Chinese tourists have avoid the city.
The Hong Kong protests began in June in response to a controversial bill that would extradite criminals to China, NBC News reports. The protests have become much more since then, though, representing a push for democracy and freedom. Police and protesters have battled since the protests began. Earlier this week, protesters filled the city’s international airport, according to CNN.