McDonald’s is facing backlash for a crispy chicken wings advertisement that some say satirizes the death of a marine police officer who went missing at sea.
The advertisement, depicting boats carrying four pieces of McWings on them, was posted on McDonald’s Hong Kong Facebook page Sunday.
“The shipment of McWings, which fans miss so much, has finally arrived in Hong Kong!” the post read, promoting a HK$12 (US$1.50) offer including two chicken wings and a medium-sized drink. The fast food chain said earlier this month that it was running out of its signature chicken wings due to slowdowns in the global supply chain.
On social media, the timing of the ad—posted a day after a marine inspector went missing after falling overboard during an operation—prompted users to accuse McDonald’s of being “cold-blooded” and “inhumane.”
McDonald’s also sent an app notification promoting the return of McWings reading “it’s normal to lose something.” The phrase is a reference to a trending song called “If you’ve dropped something, don’t look for it.”
The body of the 37-year-old inspector, Lam Yuen-yee, was found near a coast on Lantau Island on Monday.
On pro-democracy forum LIHKG, where netizens are vocal about their anti-police sentiment, some celebrated the tragedy and praised McDonald’s advertisement.
Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times picked up on the controversy. In an article, the outlet quoted Lam Chi-wai, chairman of the Junior Police Officers’ Association, who derided those “strik[ing] others in misfortune.”
McDonald’s apologized in a statement sent to media Monday, emphasizing that the advertisement was only intended to inform the public about the new McWings offer and does not imply any disrespect.
