Tesla Accused of ‘Economic Support for Genocide’ After Opening Showroom in Xinjiang

BY ERIN BRADY
04 January 2021

Activists are decrying a recent decision by Tesla to open a showroom in a Chinese city accused of human rights violations.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged Tesla and its chairman, Elon Musk, to close a newly opened showroom in the city of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. The group urged the company to “cease what amounts to economic support for genocide” in a statement.

Xinjiang has been accused of violating the human rights of Uyghur Muslim citizens, including forcing them into labor camps. The state and the Chinese government as a whole have denied these allegations.

“No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority,” said Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director of CAIR.

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