Riot police have fired rubber bullets at protesters as they vandalised a string of H&M’s stores in South Africa and ordered the Swedish brand to stop trading.
Violence spilled over in at least four malls as the latest race row to engulf the Swedish brand escalated.
Mannequins and rails of clothes were sent flying and trampled on by activists as they stormed shops across Johannesburg and demanded the retailer shut its doors or face ‘indefinite’ action.
Innocent shoppers and bystanders were forced to flee as chanting gangs wearing uniforms of the country’s radical opposition party swept through at H&M stores across the city, including Africa’s flagship store in the up-market suburb of Sandton.
EFF supporters at H&M WATCH the trashing… pic.twitter.com/Kw0xUaG4Cb
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 13, 2018
Floyd Shivambu, spokesman for the Economic Freedom Fighters party, praised the action, saying the retailer was ‘now facing the consequences for its racism.’
[IMPORTANT NOTICE]: All the stores of that racist retailer @hmsouthafrica are CLOSED. Racism must fall and we will never tip toe around racists. pic.twitter.com/eqmw885k6X
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) January 13, 2018
I am so glad the EFF has done this. About time a message is sent to unconcious racists. And if the EFF really wants to make a point they should buy some plane tickets. The H&M uk office was behind it all. And at their level it cannnot be a mistake.