London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

TST protest targets H&M

TST protest targets H&M

Around a dozen people protested outside an H&M store in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday after the fashion brand said it would boycott Xinjiang cotton.
Members of the pro-Beijing group Same Heart Association chanted slogans and held placards outside the store on Canton Road, demanding the Swedish clothing retail group apologize.

"The so-called forced labor in Xinjiang and other accusations are fictitious and American and other Western politicians have hyped the Xinjiang issue," a woman said.

They also criticized H&M and the world's largest cotton sustainability program, Better Cotton Initiative, for boycotting Xinjiang cotton based on "ridiculous reports" and accused them of "colluding with anti-China forces in Western countries."

An online petition demanding H&M apologize was also started by a number of pro-establishment figures yesterday, including Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan.

They said the brand had made "unfounded and unreasonable" accusations on Xinjiang and called on people to stop buying and wearing its products until H&M apologizes or retracts the accusations.

The protest and petition came as H&M was attacked on Chinese social media last week regarding its announcement that it would stop using Xinjiang cotton due to concerns over alleged forced labor in the autonomous region. A number of international brands, such as Nike, Adidas and Burberry, were also hit with boycotts in the mainland over the same issue, with many Chinese celebrities cutting ties with the brands.

Separately, the United States condemned China's sanctions against two American religious-rights officials and a Canadian lawmaker in a dispute over Beijing's treatment of minorities, including Uygur Muslims.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said China's moves only contribute to the growing international scrutiny of the ongoing "genocide and crimes" against humanity in Xinjiang.

Beijing's sanctions followed those imposed by the United States, European Union, Britain and Canada last week for what they say are violations of the rights of Uygur Muslims and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, which Beijing repeatedly denies.

China sanctioned Canadian opposition lawmaker Michael Chong of the Conservative Party, who is the vice chairman of parliament's standing committee on foreign affairs and international development and its subcommittee on international human rights. The subcommittee presented a report alleging "atrocities in Xinjiang constitute crimes against humanity and genocide" this month.

In response, Chong said he would "wear [the sanctions] as a badge of honor.''

At the same time, Beijing said it will take measures against Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins, the chairwoman and vice chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The foreign ministry said China is firmly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interest, and "urges relevant parties to redress their mistakes."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×