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© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Chinese TV pulls Arsenal game coverage after Ozil criticism of Muslim crackdown
By ROB HARRIS LONDON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
32 Comments
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David Varnes
While I disagree with Ozil for his support of authoritarian dictator types like Erdogan, his criticism of China for their treatment of the Uighurs is dead on.
More bullying and BS from China. All that was missing was that he needs to have 'correct thoughts' on the subject.
And shame on Arsenal for knuckling under to the Chinese bullying.
seadog538
For some (all?) Muslims religion takes precedence..
ebisen
Check your underwear. Does it say Made inChina? If yes, you do agree and support China's actions.
David Varnes
Sorry, Hecho En Mexico.
Sam Watters
Grow up, China.
Ganbare Japan!
It is right for the German player Ozil to call out Communist China over their shameful treatment of Muslims. They have committed no crime other than following their religion. Communist China is rounding up Muslims and forcing them into concentration camps, they call "re-education camps".
Ricky Kaminski13
The corporate collusion with this regime and self censorship for market access to China will be remembered as one of the down points of of our hard fought for culture of human rights, law, liberty and central concept of individual sovereignty. Never give into bullies, no matter what they threaten you with.
What do historians say?
"History doesn't repeat, per se;
but it does rhyme."
bobfor2
How childish of China
TigersTokyoDome
I see in China they ripped up the (my) club shirt with Ozil's name on it. Try doing that back in my part of North London.
Those workers in China making your Calvin Klein's don't see Calvin Klein profits and neither does China. Its just a cheap medium for cheap labour. Many of those workers are likely to be Muslim.
Jimizo
Yep,
I think Ozil needs to be more consistent here. If you want to get into this kind of discussion, make sure all nasty pieces of work get their share.
GW
Western big business & sport needs to stop kissing China's BUTT for $$$$!!!
Stop feeding the MONSTER!
NCIS Reruns
A billion Han Chinese know that if they were to protest the incarceration of their fellow citizens of Muslim faith, they would promptly suffer the same fate.
Martin Niemoller's words need to be remembered more than ever:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
goldorak
Too right. They're complicit in all this, the nikes & Lebrons of this world, 'guys let's not mix politics & biz i mean sports..."
Last night means Man united, liverpool, real, barca, psg, city & co instantly got an extra 150-200M plastic chinese supporters to share among themselves and it's all that matters in their world. pretty good night for some.
TigersTokyoDome
We took the Serbs and the Nazis to Human Rights Courts and prosecuted them for crimes against humanity. In 2019 we accept Chinese money and turn a blind eye to 1 million in internment camps.!
My good friend, a billion Han Chinese are already incarcerated - they just don't see it..
serendipitous1
Chinese football fans who wanted to watch the game should ask questions about why it wasn't shown. You can't fool all the people all the time China. The brainwashing of millions of people because of their faith is a crime against humanity.
sf2k
This is getting worse, we need to divest from China ASAP
mrtinjp
Well Mr Ozil, If you had criticized say the Turkish-Armenian situation than your Uyghur view point would have been well received. China is counting on your silence for anything islamist and that's how you will be categorized.
Concerned Citizen
The leftist Chinese government are as good at censorship as their Western leftist counterparts.
Aly Rustom
I agree.
ABSOLUTELY!!
seadog538
Mr Ozil may well critisize China but he's not saying anything about the thousands of Coptic Christians who have had to flee Egypt because of ill treatment and discrimination by the Muslims. It's ironic that the Copts are the original inhabitants of Egypt while the Muslims came later.
TigersTokyoDome
Ozil is Muslim. He doesn't need a complete story about world rights abuses. His interest is the incarceration of a million Chinese Muslims and the burning of the Koran. Don't criticise him for not mentioning Christians in Egypt because he is not Christian. Don't criticise him for not mentioning Erdogan against the Kurds because he is Turkish German.
Yes, Ozil's comment is very selective but you cannot condemn him for defending his own religion and his comment is correct - there are a million Chinese Muslims being persecuted today.
Jimizo
I agree. If you are against repression and violations of human rights, you should do it across the board - not just when it’s against your own particular group or tribe. It’s human nature to feel loyalty to a particular tribe, but when you support an oppressor from your own tribe, you do come across as at best selective and at worst hypocritical.
ulysses
Hypocrisy from Ozil, he supports a tyrant like Erdogan yet chooses to complain about China.
Hypocrisy from most of the world, along with the Moslem countries who are either too greedy or scared to complain.
TigersTokyoDome
The hypocrisy of the west is incredible. All getting upset with the nazis and the Serbs and Pearl Harbour and terrorism in Europe and New York and going to war in Iraq and Kuwait at the drop of a hat. But if a million or so Chinese Muslims are incarcerated we get posts above 'not giving a monkey's' about Muslims and moaning about Erdogan.
Poor post. Ozil never said he doesn't 'give a monkey's' about Christians in Egypt or the Kurds in Turkey. The Chinese fans could have just watched a bit of footie - it was their over-reactive government that pulled the screening, not Ozil.
lostrune2
If you're any given team's fan in China and made plans to watch your team's game on TV or streaming, but then the station pulls it on a whim, wouldn't you be pissed too
That doesn't make sense
Let's say the Chinese are being discriminated by racists in a certain country, does that mean Chinese players cannot say anything bad about it against that country?
If Christians are being persecuted in a Muslim country, Christian players cannot say anything bad about it?
mike1492
Just say NO to communism and YES to democracy.
Akie
Muslim crack down ? He must never be in China or talk to real ordinary Chinese. Muslim in China is not the same as Muslim in Europe, as simple as that.
ulysses
Since a million Moslems in Europe are not in prison, you are right.
Alfie Noakes
And a milion muslims aren't in prison in China, either. This figure was "estimated" by a man named Adrian Zenz, an evangelical Christian with ties to the CIA:
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Adrian_Zenz
Given the post-truth world we live in, it always pays to check. Otherwise you find yourself repeating CIA propaganda without realising it...
ulysses
Wow an Evangelical Christian spreading rumors of Moslem persecution!!!!
ROFL, it’s been reported by news outlets worldwide, not just American ones. Does CIA control European media too.
Is the earth flat? Been wondering if that’s propaganda too?