China: Foreign Ministry spokesperson brands Mesut Özil a victim of fake news

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, on Monday, has said that Arsenal's star player, Mesut Ozil has been a victim of fake news and has requested former German international to visit Xinjiang to see place himself. comments come a day after state-run China Central Television (CCTV) did t broadcast Arsenal's match against Manchester City. 

READ: Chinese TV Pulls Arsenal Match After Star Player Mesut Ozil's Comments

'Fake news victim'

As per reports from a news ncy, Geng said that as long as Ozil had some common sense, can make a clear distinction between right and wrong, and upholds principles of objectivity and fairness, he will see a different Xinjiang. Geng furr said that Xinjiang enjoyed political stability, ecomic development, national unity, social harmony, and people lived and worked re in peace and contentment.

On December 13, Mesut Ozil, Arsenal's highest earner and star player posted a mess on his social media handles speaking about atrocities committed by China on Uighurs in Xinjiang and how Muslim countries have t done eugh to speak up. post on his social media read, "East Turkistan, bleeding wound of Ummah, resisting against persecutors trying to separate m from ir religion. y burn ir Qurans. y shut down ir mosques. y ban ir schools. y kill ir holy men. men are forced into camps and ir families are forced to live with Chinese men. women are forced to marry Chinese men. But Muslims are silent. y won’t make a ise. y have abandoned m. Don’t y kw that giving consent for persecution is persecution itself?”

READ: Arsenal Distance mselves From Mesut Özil's Comments On Uighurs’ Plight In China

British football club, in order to avoid a fallout similar to NBA-China fallout, immediately released a statement on Chinese social media website Weibo to distance club from comments made by Ozil. As per reports in Britsh press, statement read, "Regarding comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement.  content published is Özil’s personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to principle of t involving itself in politics."

China has faced growing international condemnation for setting up a vast network of camps in Xinjiang aimed at homogenising Uighur population to reflect China's majority Han culture. Rights groups and experts say more than one million Uighurs and people of or mostly Muslim ethnic mirities have been rounded up in camps in tightly-controlled region.

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