Pro-Beijing group stages protest outside H&M branch
A pro-Beijing group on Sunday staged a protest outside a Tsim Sha Tsui branch of H&M, one of the companies facing backlash in China for the stand they have taken against the alleged use of forced labour to produce cotton in Xinjiang.
The group called “Same Heart Association” chanted slogans and displayed placards outside the store, demanding an apology from the retail giant.
They said the allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang are sheer fiction – describing them as lies fabricated by the US and Western countries to suppress Xinjiang’s cotton industry and create unrest there.
They also accused H&M of “bullying” tactics and breaking international trade rules.
This followed announcements made by a number of Hong Kong celebrities and politicians, who said they are cutting ties with several international labels that have voiced concerns about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang.
Some of these actions have however led to backlash in the SAR, with Canto-pop star Eason Chan being criticised by his fans here.
Western governments say more than a-million members of the Uyghur and minority-Muslim community have been confined to detention camps in Xinjiang.
But China has strongly rejected accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, saying the camps are for job training to support economic development and combat Islamic radicalism.
Beijing has also launched calls for boycotts and other punishments against foreign firms including retailer H&M and Nike, along with sanctions against foreign government officials and activists whom it says are spreading false information about its policies toward Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang.
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