Rumors are now running wild about the “real reason” behind the sudden resignation of Cathay Pacific’s CEO.

News of Rupert Hogg’s resignation broke on Friday (curiously, first through China’s state broadcaster, CCTV) following a rather rough week for Hong Kong’s flag carrier which found itself thrust into the middle of the anti-extradition protests that have rocked the city for months.

The week before, China’s aviation authority had ordered Cathay to ban all staff members involved in the demonstrations from flights to the mainland and provide a list of such employees.

However, Hogg is said to have provided a list with only one name, his own.

This info originates from a social media post with claimed insider knowledge that has been picked up by some outlets in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The truth of the rumor has not been confirmed and it seems unlikely that either Cathay’s current management or Hogg himself would do so.

Either way, Hogg is now being hailed as a hero by many in Hong Kong. One Taiwan legislator, Wang Ting-yu, even composed a verse comparing the former airline CEO to Tang Te-chang, a Taiwanese lawyer who burned an important list of names during the February 28 incident in 1947 in Taiwan, saving those listed from Kuomintang retribution.

He took clear responsibility for the strike and resigned!

He did not sell out any Cathay Pacific staff!

Taking all the responsibility himself!

Please remember the name of this gentleman:

Mr. Rupert Hogg!

I salute you!

Hogg himself has made no overt displays of support for the demonstrations. On August 10, he sent out a letter to Cathay staff warning that they could be fired if they “support or take part in illegal protests,” per orders from China. Several days later, a pair of pilots were sacked.

He was appointed as CEO of Cathay Pacific in 2017 after decades of working for the airline and for the investment company Swire Group, Cathay’s largest shareholder. Its second-largest shareholder is Air China.