Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentFashion & Beauty

H&M Forced to Close South Africa Stores, Says It Will Reopen When ‘Situation Is Safe Again’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

South Africans are currently unable to shop at H&M after the Swedish retailer has closed the storefronts. The 17 locations were temporarily closed after protesters trashed a Gauteng Mall location in reaction to a racist advertisement.

H&M was launched into controversy last week when a Black boy modeling a hoodie incited accusations of racism. The apparel, which has since been pulled from H&M websites worldwide, read, “Coolest Monkey In the Jungle.”

Economic Freedom Fighters, a local racial emancipation movement, toppled clothing racks, displays and mannequins at H&M’s Clearwater Mall location Saturday, Jan. 13. Other Johannesburg locations were also targeted.

“We are here to just remind them that the monkeys own this place,” Donald Mabunda of EEF told Jacaranda FM. “We are here to inform them: if you want to undermine the Black people in this country, these are the results.”

H&M has since released a statement regarding the protests, saying it is “aware of the recent events inside several of our South African stores.”

“What matters most to us is the safety of our employees and customers,” the statement continued. “We have temporarily closed our stores in South Africa. 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.

After denouncing racism and bias yet again, the store said, “We stress that our wonderful store staff had nothing to do with our poorly judged product and image.”

Meanwhile, EEF’s Twitter page also made it clear that nothing had been stolen from any H&M stores.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top