WATCH | 'I came from SA to move away from this': SA woman caught in Hong Kong protests goes viral

13 August 2019 - 06:40 By Cebelihle Bhengu
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A South African woman has been slammed on social media for 'making Hong Kong protests all about her'.
A South African woman has been slammed on social media for 'making Hong Kong protests all about her'.
Image: Twitter/@yuenok

"Entitlement" and "ignorance" are words that have been widely used to describe an unidentified South African woman, who is trending on social media for "making the Hong Kong protests all about her". 

Al Jazeera reports that citizens have been protesting for weeks against a now-shelved extradition bill, which would see criminal suspects deported to mainland China.

TimesLIVE reports that the protests have since morphed into a broader movement calling for greater freedoms, including direct election of the city's chief executive.

In the video, shared by Hong Kong AFP correspondent Elaine Yu, the woman says protests and riots are the reason she moved to Hong Kong from SA.

It has been viewed more than 1.4m times on Twitter.

"South Africa has this. I don't want this. This is not the Hong Kong that I've learnt to love. Everybody in Hong Kong is so lovable and welcoming to foreigners."

She said the demonstrations hurt her. "To experience this, I mean, it hurts me, it really hurts me." Pictures of her kneeling in front of the police as they dispersed crowds have also been shared on Twitter. 

"I’ve interviewed at least seven people at protests, who started crying when they talked about how much they loved this place and why they are fighting for it. But this is the first time I’ve seen a white lady cry at the sight of street clashes," wrote the journalist.

The footage received widespread condemnation, with many slamming the woman's reference to SA.


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