Australian human rights activist and former footballer Craig Foster has backed Arsenal player Mesut Ozil and rugby star Sonny Bill Williams after they tweeted their support for Uygur Muslims in China. A spokesman for China’s embassy in New Zealand, meanwhile, has responded to Williams’ tweet, according to Newshub, saying the country was “opposed to any attempts to sabotage China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Foster, who once played for Ernest Borel in Hong Kong, supported Ozil’s and Williams’ right to speak up, saying it was a case of high-profile athletes using their fame for good. “The awareness brought to the Uyghur abuse by @mesutozil1088 demonstrates the value, and importance of athletes using their platform for good,” said Foster in a tweet, having retweeted Williams’ support for the German international. “Human rights are not political, they’re universal. Bravo @sonnybwilliams for joining him.” The awareness brought to the Uyghur abuse by @mesutozil1088 demonstrates the value, and importance of athletes using their platform for good. Human rights are not political, they're universal. Bravo @sonnybwilliams for joining him @mpinoe @EnesKanter @hectorbellerin https://t.co/jiFNMKVVSk — Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) December 24, 2019 Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, posted a message on social media on December 13 – written in Turkish – saying the Uygur in Xinjiang province in western China were “warriors who resist persecution” while also hitting out at the silence of Muslims. English Premier League side Arsenal have since distanced themselves from his stance while Ozil has been removed from computer games in China. Williams, who converted to Islam in 2009 and is twice a rugby union World Cup winner with the New Zealand All Blacks, tweeted: “It’s a sad time when we choose economic benefits over humanity.” He added a hashtag #Uyghurs. #HayırlıCumalarDoğuTürkistan pic.twitter.com/dJgeK4KSIk — Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) December 13, 2019 The 50-year-old Foster, who played in England for Crystal Palace and Portsmouth and captained Australia, recently graduated from law school and is an active voice for human rights in Australia. He played a key role in the release of former Bahraini refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai jail early in the year and is part of the #GameOver movement fighting for the rights of refugees from the Manus Island and Nauru detention centres. According to Newshub in New Zealand, a Chinese government’s representative said the social media attacks are by people who seemed to be “blindfolded by some fake news and clouded by falsehoods. We hope they could view China’s counterterrorism and deradicalisation efforts in an objective way”. UN experts and activists say about one million Uygur and other Muslims have been put in camps, where they suffer poor conditions as well as psychological and physical abuse. The Chinese government say they are teaching the Uygur new skills in trying to stamp out separatism, adding that their programme has succeeded in preventing terrorist attacks over the past three years. The spokesman invited the likes of Williams to visit Xinjiang. “Xinjiang-related issues are China’s internal affairs, they’re not about human rights or religion, but about fighting violence, terrorism and separatism,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by Newshub. “The Chinese government protects our citizens’ freedom of religious belief, including the Uygur ethnic group, in accordance with law. “The measures taken by the Chinese government to fight terrorism and maintain stability in Xinjiang are endorsed by local people of various ethnic groups. Xinjiang has not experienced a single terrorist attack for three years in a row. “We welcome all those who have unbiased minds to visit China including Xinjiang and see the place with their own eyes.”