[Update: Calls to boycott “Mulan” reignited at the release of the film on Sept. 4, 2020, two months after China imposed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong, criminalizing words and images that had been legally protected free speech. Read more about how life in Hong Kong has changed here.]

HONG KONG — Supporters of the Hong Kong protests called for a boycott of Disney’s coming “Mulan” remake after its star, Liu Yifei, said she supported the city’s police, who have been criticized for their use of force against demonstrators.

In mid-August of 2019, Ms. Liu reposted an image on Weibo, a Chinese social network similar to Twitter, that took the police’s side. The image she shared was originally published by People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper.

“I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now,” the post read in Chinese — quoting a statement made by Fu Guohao, a reporter for a state-run Chinese newspaper, to protesters who tied him up and attacked him during a demonstration at the Hong Kong airport the day before.