After a brief lull, thousands have returned to
occupy some of Hong Kong’s main streets as
the Chinese territory enters its third
consecutive weekend of pro-democracy
protests and sit-ins.
The recent decision of Hong Kong’s
government to pull out of talks has galvanised
the protest movement, which had been
flagging this past week.
But there’s one person, at least, who’s
guaranteed not to be among the throngs: the
kung fu film star Jackie Chan.
In a message posted on Weibo, a Chinese
version of Twitter, Chan parroted the rhetoric
of some of the protesters’ critics in Beijing
and Hong Kong, urging “rationality” while
insisting the protests were causing dangerous
harm to the city’s economy. An English
translation of his post, provided by the
website Shanghaiist, reads: “I found out
through the news that Hong Kong’s economic
losses reached HK$350bn [£28bn] and I’m
really worried... I believe every Hong Kong
resident loves Hong Kong and wishes it well!
Hong Kong’s bright tomorrow requires
everyone’s support and hard work... In the
song “Country”, one line goes, ‘There is no
prosperous home without a strong country’. I
am willing to work hard with everyone and
return to rationality, to face the future, love
our country, love our Hong Kong.”
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