Protesters chant 'murderer China' in Istanbul to support Uighur Muslims after Mesut Ozil speaks out

Thousands of protesters marched in support of China’s Uighur Muslims in Istanbul, voicing their solidarity with the footballer Mesut Ozil.

Earlier in a post on Twitter, the Arsenal midfielder called Uighurs ''warriors who resist persecution'', while calling out China's treatment of Uighur Muslims in the detention camps of Xinjiang.

Referring to Xinjiang as East Turkistan, the german footballer slammed the Muslim countries for their silence.

Members of Istanbul crowd also held up banners reading “stop the cruelty” and chanted “murderer China, get out of East Turkistan”.

Turkey has, in the past expressed concerns about the situation in Xinjiang. It spoke in February at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

But there have been no official statements from President Erdogan about Ozil's comments, despite his strong relationship with the midfielder.

Reports of abuse of human rights in Xinjiang are rampant while China continues to deny any such claims.  

Beijing also blacked out the Arsenal versus Manchester City Premier League match after the comments.

Estimates suggest that close to a million Uighur Muslims have been illegally detained in internment camps by China.

Despite the many allegations, even internal reports, the world has been largely silent because of China's growing economic might.