The list of Western companies facing a potential boycott in China is growing, as Chinese celebrities end deals with major sports brands that have stopped using Xinjiang cotton.

Apparel retailer H&M is a prime target of the wrath of the Chinese, for raising concerns last March and October over human rights abuses in the Uyghur-populated region.

Several other foreign players have not been spared in the social media firestorm. American sportswear makers Nike and New Balance, British luxury brand Burberry and German sports label Adidas previously declared they were no longer using cotton produced in Xinjiang, and are now paying the price.

Those companies had made reference to findings from an investigation by the Better Cotton Initiative, an advocacy group for sustainable cotton, that saw an heightened risk of forced labor in Xinjiang cotton farms.

Chinese state media on Thursday accused them of smearing cotton from the region.

Subsequently, several Chinese celebrities announced terminating commercial partnerships with the implicated brands. Chinese actor Huang Xuan and actress Victoria Song said they were quitting H&M because of “national interests.” Hong Kong singer Eason Chan also cut ties with Adidas, while pop star Wang Yibo decided to stop his role as Nike’s brand ambassador.

At least three major Chinese e-commerce platforms — Pinduoduo, Jingdong and Tmall — had dropped H&M from search results, media reports said.

Chinese search engine Baidu reportedly removed listings of the Swedish firm’s branches in China from its online map. Internet giant Tencent also ditched a virtual outfit designed by Burberry for its online game, Honor of Kings, according to media reports.

Xinjiang cotton became a hot potato after Western governments imposed sanctions against some Chinese officials for human rights abuses in the region. On Wednesday, the country’s party-led Communist Youth League accused H&M on social media platform Weibo of spreading rumors and triggering misinformation about Xinjiang.

“Spreading rumors to boycott Xinjiang cotton, while also wanting to make money in China? Wishful thinking!” the league said in a post on its social media account. In another post, it quoted remarks made by the Communist Party’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi during a rancorous meeting with American officials last week, that Chinese people would not put up with a boycott of Xinjiang cotton.

It is unclear how widespread such sentiment is, but the hashtag “support Xinjiang cotton” was a top trending topic on social media platforms on Thursday.

Senior officials also weighed in. “Chinese people do not allow some foreigners to eat Chinese food while smashing Chinese bowls,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

In a related development, U.S. social media giant Facebook has blocked a group of Chinese hackers for targeting Uyghurs who live outside China.

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