Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators in Taipei yesterday showed their support for Uighurs by wearing jackets and shirts of apparel brands facing Chinese boycotts for their statements on rights abuses in Xinjiang.
China’s state-owned media have called for a boycott of Swedish fashion retailer H&M after social media users last week circulated a statement made by the company last year that it was “deeply concerned” about reports of forced labor in Xinjiang and that it would no longer source cotton from the region.
Several other global retail giants, including Adidas, Nike, Puma and Uniqlo, also face boycotts in China over the issue.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
At a news conference outside the legislative chamber, nine DPP lawmakers, many wearing black and white clothing, held signs that read: “support Uighurs,” “uphold human rights” and “refuse blood cotton.”
“We are here to call attention to China’s concentration camp treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, to boycott ‘blood cotton’ apparel, and to defend human rights and other universal values for Uighurs,” DPP Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) said.
China uses images and statistics to tell the world that no human rights abuses are occurring, “but the best way is to allow the international community to freely enter, to observe and better understand the actual situation in Xinjiang,” DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said.
“Defending justice cannot be done by Uighurs alone, they need international support. Today, what I wear represents our fight to uphold human rights, resist dictatorship and support those firms that stand up for democratic values. As consumers, Taiwanese can choose the clothing they buy and have the right to choose what to wear,” DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said.
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