By Sakshi Kaushik December 4, 2014 / 18:06 HKT
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Hong Kong movie director Clifton Ko got a few netizens hot under the collar this week after suggesting on his Facebook page that if protesting students are on a hunger strike, they might as well set themselves on fire.
In a very matter of fact way, he explained that it would be the best and quickest method for the students to get their message across.
Jeez, umbrellas may protect against pepper spray and tear gas, but they’re not going to do much when you’re engulfed by flames! You’d think old Clifton would know that, given that one of the 30 flicks he’s released is ironically titled The Umbrella Story.
The bad taste statement was made on Tuesday, just a day after Joshua Wong and two other members of the Scholarism activist groupproclaimed that they would go on an indefinite hunger strike in an attempt to restart negotiations with the government and secure genuine universal suffrage for the 2017 Hong Kong chief executive elections.
Some internet users were quick to criticise Ko’s rather destructive advice, while others were all for it, reports Apple Daily.
Stanley Cheung, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Burns Association and survivor of the Pat Sin Leng hillside fire of 1996, told EJ Insightthat recovering from burns is a painful process. No shit.
Cheung went on to say that no one should be encouraged to burn themselves, as it hurts and could potentially harm others.
And if you were in any doubt at all about whether that’s an okay thing to say, one netizen pointed to section 33B of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance, which indicates that anyone involved in assisting a suicide will be liable for a maximum of 14 years imprisonment.
Hey, Ko, ever heard of “think before you speak”/ incite suicide on the internet?
Photo: Francis Bourgouin via Flickr
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2014/12/04/hong-kong-film-director-tells-student-protesters-set-themselves-fire
