Chinese customers burn their Nikes as brands face backlash for stand on Uighur forced labour

International brands such as H&M and Nike are facing boycott calls in China after taking a stand on not using cotton from Xinjiang, alleging abuse of Uighur Muslims in the region.

Since Wednesday, there has been a backlash on social media against the brands over their statements expressing concern over forced labour in Xinjiang. Users on Weibo (a platform in China that is similar to Twitter) shared videos of themselves burning Nike shoes, calling it a matter of national pride.

It comes after the UK earlier this week announced sanctions against four Chinese officials over alleged atrocities committed against Uighur Muslims, in coordinated action with the European Union and the US.

Beijing, meanwhile, has hit back almost immediately with retaliatory sanctions against them. Canada has also voiced its concerns over “industrial scale human rights abuses” in the region.

While the backlash against the brands has blown up suddenly this week, the date of Nike’s statement (available on its website) was not immediately clear, while H&M’s statement is reportedly from September 2020. In it, the latter expresses deep concern about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang.

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“We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region,” Nike said in a statement.

On Thursday, Ryohin Keikaku Co, the Japanese operator of the Muji brand, said it was “deeply concerned” about reports of forced labour in the Xinjiang region.

It said in a statement that they had conducted an audit of factories in the region that supply its goods, saying it found significant issues. The company said it was working to ensure compliance with the EU and the US laws and regulations regarding human rights in Xinjiang.

The statements have not gone down well in China. Popular Chinese actor Wang Yibo announced in a statement on Weibo on Thursday the termination of his contract with Nike over the company’s Xinjiang statement.

Earlier this week, at least one Chinese online retailer appeared to drop H&M’s products.

Chinese dissident artist Badiucao tweeted: “[H&M] & [Nike] is facing boycott in China by CCP (Chinese Communist Party) manipulated nationalists for suspending use of #UyghurForcedLabour cotton.”

Beijing has repeatedly faced accusations of torture and forced labour in Xinjiang even though it has dismissed these claims.

On Wednesday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: “Xinjiang is a place that enjoys social stability, economic development, ethnic unity and religious harmony. Xinjiang residents of all ethnic groups including the Uighurs, are living a peaceful and happy life, and enjoy more rights and dignity than ever before.

“The EU imposed sanctions on relevant Chinese individuals and entity under the pretext of the so-called human right issues in Xinjiang on the basis of lies and disinformation,” she said.

Additional reporting by agencies