The Toronto Wolfpack won't come between their latest signing Sonny Bill Williams and his political stances off the back of his tweet in support of Uighurs.
The cross-code star tweeted his support of the minority ethnic group native to China's northwest, mirroring the stance of football star Mesut Ozil which drew an angry response from China.
Up to two million Uighurs have been rounded up en masse in the past two years and put in detention camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang for crimes as minor as teaching Islam or downloading messaging apps.
Many have detailed torture and brainwashing in the camps, with recent reports saying mass rape is being committed against Uighur women.
But the Toronto Wolfpack, who Williams has signed with for the 2020 season, said in a statement the team doesn't take a political stance.
"While the Toronto Wolfpack will never take a stance on political issues, our players will always have a right to freedom of speech," the spokesperson said.
In his tweet on Monday, Williams echoed Arsenal playmaker Ozil - also a practising Muslim - that more countries should speak out against China's policy of detaining Uighurs in re-education camps.
"It's a sad time when we choose economic benefits over humanity #Uyghurs," Williams wrote, accompanied by an image illustrating oppression against the Muslim minority group.
The Chinese embassy in New Zealand responded to the 34-year-old Kiwi's tweet yesterday, telling Newshub he was "blindfolded by some fake news and clouded by falsehoods".
China's state broadcaster removed the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City from its programming in response to Ozil's actions.
The German midfielder was also removed from a Chinese-produced soccer computer game.
Rugby league doesn't have the same presence in China as soccer or basketball's NBA, which paid a heavy financial price when an official criticised the Chinese government in October.
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support of protesters in Hong Kong, sparking Chinese demands that he be fired, which were rejected by the NBA.
