"False information". China on Monday (December 16th) suggested Mesut Özil go to Xinjiang after comments by German footballer Arsenal on the region where Beijing is accused of interning up to a million Muslims. The Gunners number 10 had condemned on Friday on social media the maximum security policy initiated by China in Xinjiang (northwest) in response to attacks.

"If Mr. Özil has the opportunity, we will be happy to go to Xinjiang to find out" about the situation, a Chinese diplomacy spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters. Turkish-born footballer had been deceived by "false information".

"Korans are burned ... Mosques destroyed ... Islamic schools banned ... Religious intellectuals killed one after the other ... Brothers sent by force to camps", was indignant Özil on Twitter and Instagram in a message written in Turkish.

Unprogrammed Arsenal match in China

Uighurs are one of the 56 ethnic groups identified in China. Mainly Muslim, speaking for the most part a language related to Turkish, they constitute just under half of the 25 million people living in Xinjiang.

On Saturday, Arsenal distanced itself from the words of its attacking midfielder, saying that the club "has always adhered to the principle of not getting involved in politics". But the measure did not allow the club to avoid the wrath of Beijing.

Chinese public broadcaster CCTV removed the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City, lost at home by the Gunners (3-0), from Sunday.

>> Read also: "An Arsenal match deprogrammed on Chinese television after Özil's comments on the Uyghurs"

"Rehabilitation" centers

Human rights organizations accuse China of interning in Xinjiang - long hit by numerous bloody attacks - up to a million Muslims in what they call political re-education camps.

Beijing denies this figure and talks about vocational training centers, designed to help people find jobs and thus keep them away from the temptation of Islamism and terrorism.

The Gunners number 10, 31, has been getting closer to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent years. Pictures of Özil alongside the strong man from Ankara had created controversy in Germany in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup. Since then, the Head of State has even witnessed his wedding in Istanbul this year.

With AFP

Newsletter Don't miss anything from international news

Don't miss anything from international news

subscribe

google-play-badge_FR