• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Sport

Furious reaction to Arsenal’s Mesut Özil’s plea for Uighurs persecuted in China’s detention camps

Arsenal sought to distance itself from its star’s remarks highlighting the mass persecution of China’s Muslim communities.

Ben Gelblum by Ben Gelblum
2019-12-15 13:28
in Sport
credit:pa

credit:pa

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

China’s state broadcaster will not broadcast Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Manchester City after a row broke out when Arsenal’s Mesut Özil shared a prayer for Muslims persecuted in China on social media.

The midfielder posted a prayer for the safety of China’s Uighur Muslim community on Instagram and Twitter on Friday.

China has detained over a million Uighurs and other minorities in detention camps. Beijing claims they are being educated. But in November leaked documents confirmed many reports emerging of the cruel treatment in the camp where people are sent for forced re-education to renounce their religious beliefs.

China had branded the claims “fabrication and fake news” but the world is being forced to wake up to the human rights violations at last. In the US, the Uighur Act calls on Donald Trump to condemn abuses against Muslims and call for the closure of mass detention camps in the north-western region of Xinjiang, as well as sanctions against Chinese officials responsible.

Mesut Özil’s Instagram message read: “East Turkistan, the bleeding wound of the Ummah, resisting against the persecutors trying to separate them from their religion. They burn their Qurans. They shut down their mosques. They ban their schools. They kill their holy men. The men are forced into camps and their families are forced to live with Chinese men. The women are forced to marry Chinese men.

“But Muslims are silent. They won’t make a noise. They have abandoned them. Don’t they know that giving consent for persecution is persecution itself?”

#HayırlıCumalarDoğuTürkistan 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/dJgeK4KSIk

— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) December 13, 2019

China’s state newspaper, The Global Times, reported on Sunday that the big match at the Emirates between Arsenal and Manchester City would not be broadcast because Özil’s remarks had “disappointed fans and football governing authorities”.

CCTV 5’s schedule shows it now plans to show a taped match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers instead.

Arsenal moved swiftly to distance itself from the German player’s highlighting of the plight of Uighurs . The club has a number of business interests in China including a chain of restaurants.

RelatedPosts

Fan Experience Remains a Priority for Jockey Club as Caps Come into Force

Gary Lineker ‘cried’ after public support from Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, son reveals

BBC will NOT use pundits for tomorrow’s Match of the Day

The football tycoons who made their money from gambling

In a statement on Weibo, a censored social media site that is not banned in China, Arsenal announced: “Regarding the comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement.

“The content published is Özil’s personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”

Angry responses by locals to Arsenal’s post on Weibo included a shredded Özil shirt next to a pair of scissors and calls for the footballer to be expelled from the club.

On Saturday, the Chinese Football Association told another state media The Paper that it was “outraged and disappointed” by Özil’s “inappropriate” remarks.

Özil was the second Arsenal player in as many days to air political views on social media.

On Thursday, with polls open for the general election, the Gunners’ right-bank Héctor Bellerín tweeted: “Young people across the world have a chance to change what the future can be. Today’s the chance for all the British people to influence what your future and those living here holds. #FuckBoris #GoVote.”

Young people across the world have a chance to change what the future can be. Today's the chance for all the British people to influence what your future & those living here holds. #FuckBoris #GoVote pic.twitter.com/epHbI3sdNw

— Héctor Bellerín (@HectorBellerin) December 12, 2019

On that occasion, the club did not issue a statement.

The North London club’s reaction disappointed many, especially considering the scale of the suffering of the Uighur population that their attacking midfielder was highlighting.

Arsenal had nothing to say when Hector Bellerin told his followers to ‘Fuck Boris’ but were quick to distance themselves from Mesut Ozil raising awareness for over one million people currently locked in ‘concentration camps’… https://t.co/vXUlvwHSIn

— Turkwise (@turkwisee) December 14, 2019

Arsenal emerges very poorly from this. Well said Ozil. https://t.co/3MnKww8ni8

— Peter Oborne (@OborneTweets) December 14, 2019

So Hector Bellerin can tweet “#FuckBoris” and Arsenal don’t say a thing, but when Mesut Ozil rightly criticises China’s atrocities against Uighur muslims the club release a statement saying it doesn’t align with their views 🤦🏻‍♂️ the grip China have over sports teams is worrying. https://t.co/rG1PxkQ2mR

— Dylan Walsh (@dylanwalsh_) December 15, 2019

And many more praised the Arsenal player for speaking out to highlighted about a mass persecution that the world has forgotten about.

https://twitter.com/georgiebingham/status/1205873762530398209

@BenGelblum

RELATED: Gary Neville calls out Boris Johnson for fuelling racism live on Sky Sports

Content Protection by DMCA.com
Tags: headline
Please login to join discussion

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

Elevenses: Fear and Loathing in the New Conservatives

More from TLE

Cameroon Vs Croatia – An alternative report

Pc Andrew Harper’s wife pays tribute to him in emotional letter as first man charged with officer’s murder

Film Review: Path of Blood

Plane with 84 plumbers on board forced to return to airport due to problems with the toilets

Shoppers in posh town left outraged after Tesco pulls AUBERGINES from shelves

Restaurant Review: Chokhi Dhani, London

Why therapy, not custody, is the best way to tackle violent crime in the UK

Three ‘Real’ Festival Fashion Essentials

EU launches legal action against UK over free movement ‘failure’

Weather forecast, alerts and UVB index for London, Sunday 19 July 2020

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.