TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A petition is calling for the removal of Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen as a presenter for next week's Academy Awards ceremony due to his overt support for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), recent promotion in the party, and criticism of the Hong Kong democracy protests.

At the height of the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests, Yen in 2020 drew criticism for uploading a post to Facebook showing himself shaking hands with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) at an event in 2017 which he fondly described as the day "Hong Kong returned to the motherland." The actor has also drawn criticism for doing blackface for two different roles in the film "All's Well, Ends Well 2011."

Yen, who renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2010, was appointed to the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in January. On Sunday (March 5), Yen told Chinese state-run media that it was an honor to be a member of the CPPCC. "It’s a great responsibility and I will try my best to do this job well and serve everyone. I want to do something practical for the country," said Yen.

In an interview with GQ published on Feb. 28, Yen gushed with praise for the "modernization" brought to China by the CCP and "the progress — the freeways, the architecture, the convenience of lifestyle." In contrast, he described the Hong Kong pro-democracy far more negatively: “It wasn’t a protest, okay, it was a riot."

Incensed by Yen's recent comments, netizens who called themselves "a group of people from Hong Kong" on Saturday (March 4) started a Change.org petition titled "Cancel inviting an actor Donnie Yen as a presenter for the Oscars." In the petition, the organizers criticized Yen for backing the CCP's violation of human rights and argued that the Oscars should "represent respect for human rights and moral values, rather than support for actions that violate them."

The petition's creators wrote that Yen's words of support for the CCP's policies, including the imposing of the Draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong "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." The authors condemned the academy for showing "contempt for the people of Hong Kong" by inviting him to the awards.

The petition warned that allowing Yen to present on the program would "damage the image and reputation of the film industry and cause serious harm to human rights and moral values." The group called on the Oscars committee members to reconsider their decision and work to "uphold human rights and moral values."

With 89 likes, the most popular reason for signing was posted by Jenny Lam, who wrote "He doesn't stand up for freedom and democracy, which could violate the values of the Oscar prizes." Close behind at 78 likes was Matthew Leung, who wrote "Oscar should prevent this CCP clown (from) contaminate(ing) the show."

As of publication, the petition has gained over 32,000 signatures.