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Protesters ransack H&M stores in South Africa over racist hoodie

By Vivian Hendriksz

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Fashion

London - H&M was forced to temporarily closed all of its stores in South Africa on Saturday after several protests turned violent. Protesters from Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) ransacked and destroyed six H&M stores in reaction to a racist advertisement from the fashion retailer which featured a black boy wearing a hoodie bearing the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle".

H&M stores in South Africa forced to temporarily shut down following violent protests

Local police were forced to fire rubber bullets to disperse the protesters in one location, as photographs and short videos of the protestors pulling down H&M displays, kicking over mannequins and throwing around clothing has emerged on social media. Others show protestors singing songs and waving signs as they walked through shopping malls. Demonstrations were reported at shopping centers in Cape Town, Pretoria and several stores around Johannesburg, including Boksburg, Sandton, and Midrand.

H&M issued an apology earlier this week for the heavily criticized advertisement. The Swedish fashion company pulled the hoodie from its global sales and removed the image in question from all its marketing. However, for many, including the EEF, the second largest opposition party in the country, it was too little too late. The radical party is urging all South African shopping malls to evict the fast-fashion retailer and encouraging consumers to boycott them.

H&M said in a statement that it is "aware of the recent events inside several of our South African stores." The fashion retailer added that it has temporarily closed all its stores in the country as a safety measure, as what "matters most" to them is the safety of its employees and customers. "None of our staff or customers have been injured. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will open the stores as soon as the situation is safe again," added H&M.

The leader of the EEF, Julius Sello Malema, shared photos and videos of the protects and their destructive aftermath on Twitter, praising the those who stood against racism.

Since the product photograph in question went viral last week a number of celebrities have cut ties with H&M, including artists the Weeknd and G-Eazy, while others such as NBA star LeBron James and Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaka publicly condemned the advert via social media. Following the protests in its stores on Saturday, the fashion retailer stressed that they "strongly believe that racism and bias in any shape or form, deliberate or accidental, are simply unacceptable," noting that its "wonderful store staff had nothing to do" with the hoodie in question.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition party to the governing African National Congress, "strongly condemns the violence and vandalism" caused to H&M's stories and argues that the Economic Freedom Fighters must be held accountable for all the damages made following the protests. "While we fully agree that racism is oppressive and has no place in a democratic South Africa, inciting violence and acts of destruction to property must be equally condemned," DA National Spokesperson and Deputy Chairperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe in a statement.

"The EFF must be held accountable for all the damages incurred as a result of this deplorable vandalism and EFF leader, Julius Malema, must pay back the money for all damages incurred and compensate the employees who had to put in more hours clearing the mess," added Nt’sekhe. "Trashing of stores cannot be condoned as it does not begin to topple the real elephant in the room – racism." Others agree with the sentiment, noting the trashing and potential closure of H&M stores in South Africa would only cause more harm to those working for the company.

FashionUnited has contacted H&M for additional commentary.

Photo: H&M store Sweden, courtesy of H&M

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