Racism is not in our DNA, says H&M
The retail store is embarking on global and local anti-racism programmes after outcry over the racist hoodie.
POLOKWANE – H&M says it has reflected on the racist hoodie and the outrage it has provoked in several countries around the world, including South Africa.
This follows nationwide protests by members of the Economic Freedom Fighters, in which stores were trashed and eventually, closed down.
Read more: [WATCH] EFF members block entrance to Mall of the North
H&M Country Manager, Pär Darj, in a statement says it was clear that their usually high standards of checks and balances failed dismally.
“We know we let many people down. We have apologised for the hurt and humiliation we have caused so many people after we produced a hoodie with the slogan “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle” featuring a black child wearing the garment in our global online store outside South Africa. Our position is clear. We got this wrong and we are deeply sorry,” said Darj.
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Darj went on to add that racism is not in H&M’s DNA.
“We will make every efforts to root out racism and any form of prejudice in our business. We have already taken urgent steps globally and locally to ensure that such offensive products are never produced in our name ever again.
We are a company committed to strong values. We care about the impact our business has on communities. We have identified four priority areas driven by our sustainability programme globally: education, water, equality and the environment.”
H&M says they have decided to do more to focus on their commitment to equality.
This comes after consultation with several NGOs, talking to our staff and listening to people affected by the issue.
“We want to make a positive contribution to eradicate racism, both in South Africa and around the world,” Darj said.
Specific interventions include the following:
The H&M Group has also appointed a global transformation lead, reporting directly to the CEO, to fix the structural problems that resulted in the hoodie being produced.
“All our stores are open. The security of our employees and our customers is a priority for H&M, particularly after the disruptions in some of our stores this week. We have improved security to ensure safety in our stores,” said Darj.
