Backlash in China over Mesut Ozil's Uighur post

Foreign ministry says Arsenal ace ‘deceived by fake news’ but others come out in support

Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in 2013
Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in 2013
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Football star Mesut Ozil was “deceived by fake news” and “untruthful remarks” in his social media post about the treatment of Uighur Muslims, China’s foreign ministry spokesman has claimed.

After the Arsenal star called Uighurs “warriors who resist persecution” and criticised both China and the silence of his fellow Muslims in response, Geng Shuang invited Ozil to visit the autonomous Xinjiang region and “have a look” for himself.

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