What did Donnie Yen say? Petition to remove Oscars host receives thousands of signatures

The 2023 Oscar ceremony has come under fire for inviting Hong Kongese actor Donnie Yen to present an award due to his links to the Chinese Communist Party and support of Beijing's suppression of Hong Kong.

Activist Tong Wai-hung recently started a Change.org petition to have the 59-year-old actor removed as a presenter at the Academy Awards on March 12, which has garnered over 97,000 signatures as of writing.

According to the petition, Yen's latest comments over the 2019 Hong Kong protests have angered a group of people from the country.

"Yen has made several remarks in support of the Chinese government's policies, including supporting the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong and accusing Hong Kong protesters of being rioters. These remarks not only violate the spirit of freedom of speech but also deny the rights of the people of Hong Kong to fight for their freedom and democracy."

Donnie Yen sparked controversy with his comments in February 2023 during an interview with GQ, where he restated his opposition to democratic protests in the country in 2019.

“It wasn’t a protest, okay, it was a riot. I’m not going to be here talking about how to change how people feel about it. But my own experience, like, I was there, I have many friends who were there. I don’t want to get political. A lot of people might not be happy for what I’m saying, but I’m speaking from my own experience.”

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Donnie Yen claims Western news outlets only show the negative side of China

As per the BBC, in the same interview, Donnie Yen also pressed on the fact that Western media outlets like CNN and the outlet itself only focus on "negative" stories coming from China and not the other side.

While speaking with VICE in a news piece published on March 7, Tong Wai-hung stated:

“[Yen] made it clear he wants to use films as a medium to tell positive stories of China and Hong Kong. He’s helping to whitewash the Chinese regime.”

In the petition started by him, Wai-hung argues that Oscar's decision to invite Yen to present an award shows “contempt for the people of Hong Kong” and that his attendance at the ceremony will “damage the image and reputation of the film industry.”

Earlier this month, Yen was seen attending a CCP meeting in Beijing. As per the state-run outlet Global Times, Yen said more Chinese action movies were needed to “become the pride of China” and “tell the story of China.”

The Ip Man actor previously courted controversy in 2017 after performing at an event that had the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in attendance. Donnie Yen described meeting him a “great honor.”

Born on July 27, 1963, Donnie Yen is a native of Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China, but was raised in Hong Kong.

He began his acting career in 1984, starring in Siu Tai Gik. Some of his other acting credits include Tiger Cage, The Last Conflict, Flying Squads, The Crime File, A New Life, Once Upon a Time in China II, Cheetah on Fire, Asian Cop: High Voltage, The Kung Fu Master, Iron Monkey 2, Black Rose II, Shanghai Affairs, Hero, Ip Man, All's Well, Ends Well 2012, Golden Chickensss, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Enter the Fat Dragon, Come Back Home, etc.