Hong Kong secessionist Joshua Wong (3rd L) leaves after a hearing at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2019. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong pro-Western secessionist Joshua Wong Chi-fung’s sadfishing performance for Western media has become the target of ridicule from Chinese netizens, many of whom say that he does not deserve to live in China.

When talking with Western media on Sunday, Wong tried to garner sympathy by saying he worries every night about being arrested, but this sadfishing attempt did not get the expected reaction from Chinese netizens.

Some Hong Kong netizens mocked Wong by saying he cannot sleep because he feels guilty, saying that only someone who does something wrong would be afraid or not sleep easily at night. 

Other Hong Kong residents said they think Wong was just trying to gain people’s sympathy. 

Wendy Yu, who recently returned to Hong Kong after immigrating to Britain, told the Global Times on Tuesday that she feels Wong lives in fear every day because he has done many things to betray his country and has misled many young people. 
“I suspect that he is suffering from the delusion that he will be arrested.”

Another resident Jacky Ko Chung-kit said that although Wong is trying to produce news about himself to get public attention, few people will believe in him again, especially young people who feel they have been betrayed by Wong.

The hashtag “Joshua Wong Chi-fung performs for Western media to gain sympathy” has been viewed more than 200 million times as of Tuesday on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with thousands of Chinese mainland netizens joining in the discussion.

“A person who obeys the law would not be terrified when sleeping at night,” one netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

In a poll asking whether Wong deserves to live in China, more than 75,000 netizens out of 76,000 voted that he does not.

“Wong has intensified the conflict between the police and residents and has misled many young people into joining in the riots. Now all he can do is show off his cleverness to increase exposure, which is similar with an entertainer getting to the top through gossip,” Hong Kong teacher Paul Wong told the Global Times.

Joshua Wong, along with Nathan Law and Agnes Chow, announced that they were withdrawing from pro-secession group Demosisto in July, which analysts have said shows the successful deterrent effect the national security law has had on Hong Kong.