Update | PR exec resigns from jewellery giant Chow Tai Fook after comments mocking Occupy sex assault
Jewellery company distances itself from deputy PR chief's inflammatory social media comments, says resignation effective immediately on Monday
Chow Tai Fook, the world’s largest jewellery chain, said on Monday morning that a senior public relations executive had resigned from the company after she posted inflammatory comments on social media about victims of violence and sexual assault in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.
The company reiterated that the social media posts in question, by its deputy head of public relations Joanna Kot, were not representative of Chow Tai Fook views.
“We issued a statement of clarification already. We hope the public would know that the personal views of a staff member do not represent our opinion or our stance. We do not agree or approve of what was posted that Facebook account.” The company accepted Kot's resignation on Monday and it went into effect immediately, a spokeswoman told the South China Morning Post.
Kot, who has worked at Chow Tai Fook for two years and eight months as the deputy head of public relations and media according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, mocked those who were beaten or molested by anti-Occupy crowds as protests continued to rock the city’s downtown districts in posts on her Facebook page on Saturday evening.
“Assaulted? It’s late by a few days already! You all saw it! If there’s a problem, you [protesters] want the police, if there’s no problem you say they are bad guys. If you’re all that, then leave by yourself. Citizens of Mong Kok are only repaying you in the same way.”
In another post regarding a female student protester who had been indecently attacked, she wrote: “Molested? Remember not to report to the police; revolution requires sacrifice, fighting for democracy is above the law.
“Those anti-Occupiers are ‘peacefully’ molesting you. You should be understanding! LOL!”
“It is with much regret that the words posted by one of our staff members on her personal Facebook account have aroused discontent among members of the public.
We hereby clarify that any individual staff’s personal words and opinions have no relation with the company and do not represent the company’s stand. Your attention and understanding are much appreciated.”
Kot has since deleted her social media accounts and could not be reached.
Many disgusted online commenters had called for Kot’s dismissal, with some saying they would boycott the Chow Tai Fook brand until she is fired.
A commenter on Hong Kong’s Golden Forum joked: “Chow Sang Sang [a rival jewellery company] states: Thank you for taking a year of future business and entirely giving it to me.”
The Chow Tai Fook spokeswoman said the company had received around 200 enquiries from the public on this matter.
All Chow Tai Fook shops are expected to be operational today, said the company spokeswoman. In all, about 30 Chow Tai Fook stores were affected over the past week due to demonstrations, she said, but noted that they were not all full-day closures.
“It’s hard to say as some did not open for an hour or two or they closed earlier than usual and wasn’t shut the whole day…Mainly in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui.”
The National Day golden week holiday is usually one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. Many retailers count on mainland tourists who have a week off to come to the city for shopping. A senior economist at ANZ Banking Group estimated that the protests had cost retailers HK$2.2 billion, representing 6 per cent of monthly retail sales.
