Mulan: Calls to boycott film revived as it starts streaming on Disney+

Liu Yifei, who portrays the title character, has expressed support for Hong Kong police

Calls to boycott Mulan have been revived on the day of the movie’s release on Disney+.

The film has faced a possible boycott since August last year, when actor Liu Yifei, who portrays the titular character, publicly voiced her support for Hong Kong police – even as it was accused of exerting violence against protesters.

As Mulan began streaming on Disney’s platform on Friday, calls to boycott the movie gained momentum once again.

The hashtag #boycottMulan began trending on Twitter again as many voiced their support for the movement.

An account operating under the handle @Stand_with_HK, operated by “a group of ordinary Hongkongers urging the world to safeguard Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms”, tweeted: “Reminder that @DisneysMulan, Liu Yifei, spoke out in support for #HongKong police brutality in August 2019. There’s no honour in supporting an authoritarian regime. Join Hongkongers’ fight and #BoycottMulan.”

Thai student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who has more than 107,000 followers on Twitter, also showed support for the movement, posing in photos with a #BanMulan sign.

Back in August last year, Liu, who was born in China and became a naturalised US citizen, wrote on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo: “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong.”

The message was met with criticism by many. It came as Hong Kong police faced growing accusations of using brutality against demonstrators protesting China's influence over the semi-autonomous territory.