SA reacts to viral video of crying woman at Hong Kong protests

A video of a South African woman being interviewed during the Hong Kong protests has drawn mixed reactions from social media users, some of whom have criticised her for being "embarrassing" and "entitled".

The unidentified woman was interviewed by AFP journalist Elaine Yu after she was spotted kneeling in front of police who were firing teargas at the protesters on Monday.

Sobbing, the women told Yu she had left South Africa to move away from "this" and that it was not something she wanted for the country she had come to love.

"I came from South Africa to move away from this ... I don’t want this. This is not the Hong Kong I’ve learnt to love," she said.

"Everybody in Hong Kong is so lovable and welcoming. To experience this hurts me. It really hurts me. There is good and bad to protests and there is good and bad to police, and I just wish both sides would just stop.

"I understand what they’re fighting for and I appreciate what everybody is fighting for, but this is not what we’re supposed to be like. We’re supposed to be fighting together, not against each other. This is not the Hong Kong that I want to be in. I don’t. I would rather go back to South Africa if this is what I’m gonna be living with for the next few years. It’s unacceptable."

Twitter users, including former Western Cape premier Helen Zille, showed little sympathy for her, with many calling her "embarrassing", "entitled" and "self-centred".

However, a few defended her, saying they agreed.

Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions: