From an infuriated LeBron James editing his own version of the “Coolest Monkey” hoodie to The Weeknd dropping his partnership with H&M, outrage against the Sweden-based retailer has taken many forms.
woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore… pic.twitter.com/P3023iYzAb
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
By contrast, the mother of the boy in the ad has told critics to just “get over it.”
But now, the uproar following the controversial ad deemed ‘racist’ and ‘offensive’ has made it all the way to South Africa, after its debut on the clothing store’s U.K. e-commerce site.
H&M has temporarily closed all of its store locations in South Africa after angry mobs stormed various branches across the country, tearing down displays and vandalizing merchandise.
That @hm nonsense of a clothing store is now facing consequences for its racism. All rational people should agree that the store should not be allowed to continue operating in South Africa. Well done to Fighters who physically confronted racism. pic.twitter.com/cgdedYGoOj
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) January 13, 2018
“Protesters flocked to stores over the weekend and police were forced to use rubber bullets to clear the crowds outside a branch of the fast fashion chain in Boksburg on Saturday,” reported the Independent.