Xinhua perspective | Pro-police actor remains firm after targeted by rioters

For TVB actor Mat Yeung, handshakes and photo-taking with fans at his soup restaurant in Wan Chai are common occurrences. But not until recently has Yeung seen a surge in popularity probably unseen in his 20 years of performing.
“I did not anticipate that and it has never happened before,” Yeung said.
It was not some new TV series or box news that have put him under the spotlight, but his voice of support for the police in Hong Kong amid seven months of unrest.
Even at the most volatile time, Yeung made no secret of his attitude. He frequently posted group photos with police officers and openly expressed gratitude to their hard work on social media platforms. Along with several other celebrities, Yeung visited police headquarters and cheered police officers on in December.
Rioters trashed his restaurants for revenge. They smashed windows, damaged CCTVs and spray-painted doors with graffiti. Yeung said he personally received threatening phone calls and malicious comments on the internet and was informed of an upsurge of complaints about food security and firefighting devices by authorities.
Over the past months, the total turnover of Yeung’s restaurants has dropped by about 30 percent.
“Whether the business is good or not doesn’t bother me, but I am very sad that rioters became more and more violent in streets and more common people got hurt,” said Yeung.
“At this time, business is not that important anymore. Now it’s the struggle for humanity that matters, we must return to humanity. I feel that in the past months, humanity is lost in Hong Kong.”
Yeung urged more Hong Kong people to disassociate themselves with violence and voice their support for police officers.
“We need more people to stand out bravely and say no to violence,” Yeung said. “Now is year 2020, I hope demonstrators can use modern, civilized means to express their opinions and requests instead of primitive ways.”
“Only when unrest ends can we rebuild our home and bring back our peaceful lives. And then Hong Kong will recover very fast just like many other hardships we went through before,” he said. “I for 100 percent believe that.” MDT/Xinhua