Here’s another example of why you should always, always be careful about what you post online. On Sunday (Nov 3), Hongkong singer Joey Yung uploaded a selfie of herself on a plane wearing a surgical mask and her hair casually covering one eye. She also wrote this caption: “I only know I want to fly”. As soon as it was posted, Chinese netizens immediately assumed that Joey was supporting the anti-Beijing protests in Hongkong. It didn’t help that a Hongkong pro-democracy netizen had commented: “Wearing a mask to fly with you too”.

In case you don’t know, the city’s demonstrators are wearing face masks to rebel against the anti-mask law which was passed on October 4. Some netizens also thought that Joey’s covered eye was a reference to the ‘eye-for-an-eye’ gesture used by protestors after a journo suffered a serious eye injury during a protest in August.

Even though Joey quickly deleted the pic, the damage was already done. One netizen commented: “To be honest, [singer and pro-Hongkong democracy activist] Denise Ho has more guts than you. At least she doesn’t try to earn RMB and she’s clear about her stand. You just toe the line and now you have offended both sides.”

Joey has also been dropped from Hunan TV’s 11.11 event on Monday where she was slated to perform.

Yesterday (Nov 5), Joey posted an apology on Facebook where she denied being a pro-democracy supporter. She also revealed that her caption was a lyric taken from her song ‘Airport’, which is about flying.

“I never thought that a lyric and a selfie I posted for fun would cause such a storm. I’m extremely sorry about my carelessness that caused this matter and I feel very sad and remorseful,” she wrote. “Today I think I should give everyone a clear explanation. I made the post that day, only because I wanted to express how excited I was to be flying off for work… As a public figure, I did not think my words and actions would have such serious impact. I love my motherland, I love Hong Kong, I have never supported Hong Kong’s independence. I also, without question, love peace and I hope everything will return to normal soon.”

But some people are saying that her apology has come a little too late. After all, it’s not the first time Joey has been embroiled in such a controversy. Back in June, she had written about her “sleepless night” on Instagram just a day after a demonstrator fell to his death. Her words then were also taken as a show of support for the protests.

Then there were the Hongkong netizens who felt that the Chinese netizens are being “too sensitive”. They also expressed their surprise that it’s Joey who is in the middle of this scandal. “Even Joey Yung has been accused of being pro-Hongkong democracy, all you other pro-Beijing artistes better be careful,” wrote one netizen.