Marco Rubio Mocked For 'Lecturing' Hong Kong About Arresting Activists: 'Start Fixing Your Own Backyard'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was mocked for "lecturing" Hong Kong about arresting activists, despite the Trump administration arresting and detaining hundreds of activists during the president's second term for various offenses, including criticism of Israel and speaking out against cuts to international funding.

On Friday, Hong Kong's national security police issued arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists. They accused them of subversion under the 2020 national security law. The activists allegedly organized or took part in the unofficial Hong Kong Parliament, a pro-democracy group that authorities say aimed to undermine state power by pursuing self-determination and drafting a separate constitution.

"The US condemns the Hong Kong government's latest round of arrest warrants on activists for exercising freedom of expression, including US-based persons," Rubio wrote in an X post shared Saturday in response to the arrest warrants. "This Administration will always stand up for fundamental freedoms & will not tolerate transnational repression on US soil."

Rubio's condemnation, which accrued nearly 2 million views over 24 hours, drew immediate backlash, with many on social media highlighting the hypocrisy of his statement.

Since January, the Trump administration has detained or arrested numerous activists, particularly pro-Palestinian voices. These include Mahmoud Khalil, arrested without a warrant for leading protests at Columbia University; nearly 100 Jewish protesters detained at Trump Tower for opposing Khalil's arrest; Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts student whose visa was revoked after publishing an op-ed criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza; immigrant rights advocate Jeanette Vizguerra, arrested in March; and seven climate activists detained during recent protests at Wells Fargo offices in New York and San Francisco, among dozens of others.

"Wait... so the U.S. is lecturing Hong Kong about arresting activists overseas?

This the same government that:
•Hunts down whistleblowers
•Blacklists journalists
•Spies on Americans through Big Tech
•And sends the FBI after parents at school boards?," one X user wrote. "You don't get to wear the 'freedom' costume while running a global surveillance state. Start fixing your own backyard before pretending to care about liberty abroad," the post continued.

"This is exactly what you and your Trump regime are doing in the United States. What the f--k man," a second wrote.

"Americans. The most hypocritical and delusional people in the world," a third wrote, referencing articles about the administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses.

"This is f-----g rich coming from a country that now checks ppl phones, kidnaps ppl off the streets, and deported to either concentration camps or unknown countries. America is in no position to condemn other countries that violates human rights and freedom of expression," another declared.

"This shameless thug thinks people would take his nonsense seriously. He's the same war criminal who has proudly turned his own country into a rogue state by launching brutal crackdown on free speech," one user lamented.

Many social media users also criticized the treatment of Palestinian activists.

"What are you on about Lil Marco," one X user wrote. "You arrest activists protesting against GENOCIDE in Gaza in your own country."

"You arrested an activist for criticizing Israel... And had to release him because it was illegal. Work on American freedoms first," a second added.

"Freedom of expression? I'm old enough to remember when Marco Rubio justified the imprisonment and deportation of "US-based person" Mahmoud Khalil because of his beliefs and his expression of opposition to US-Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people," a third wrote. "That was 3 months ago."

"You arrested Americans protesting against the Gaza GENOCIDE in AMERICA. You hypocrite!" another accused of Rubio.