Hong Kong | Joshua Wong calls Lebron a hypocrite for China silence

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong accused LeBron James of hypocrisy, after the NBA superstar moved to form a group supporting black voting rights in the U.S.
Wong, the former student protester who has testified before the U.S. Congress on behalf of Hong Kong democracy activists, said in a tweet yesterday that James’s position clashes with his past comments on the protests in the former British colony. James was widely criticized in Hong Kong last year for calling basketball executive Daryl Morey’s support for the city’s protesters “misinformed.”
Some Hong Kong protesters have expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., in part because both share a common criticism of police tactics. Street protesters have adopted some methods popularized by their Hong Kong counterparts during clashes with police in cities across the U.S. in recent weeks.
While James has long been vocal on U.S. political issues and announced plans to start a group protecting black voting rights this week, the Lakers star provided key support for the National Basketball Association during its dispute with China over Hong Kong last year. Beijing reacted to Morey’s tweet by canceling broadcasts of NBA games in the crucial overseas market.
Joshua Wong, who served two months in jail for his role in 2014 protests that shut down large swaths of the city, has been barred from seeking political office for his past support of “self-determination.” China is currently drafting national security legislation in Beijing that’s expected to levy harsher sentences against Hong Kong residents convicted of supporting secession or cooperating with foreign powers, among other offenses. Bloomberg