H&M releases statement temporarily closing all its stores in South Africa

Last week, South Africans vandalized H&M shops in protest of the ''monkey'' H&M advert. Members of a youth-oriented political movement stormed H&M stores across the country.

Groups of protesters went to various H&M stores across the country, including several malls in Johannesburg, in the capital Pretoria, and in the northern Limpopo province.

In response, H&M has issued an official statement to temporarily close all its stores in South Africa saying, 'out of concern for the safety of our employees and customers, we have have temporarily closed all stores in the area. We strongly believe tha racism and bias in any shape or form, deliberate or accidenttal is simply unacceptable'.