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Monday, September 7, 2020
S.Africa's EFF pickets at top stores over 'racist' ads
By AFP |
Dozens of activists from South Africa's radical leftwing Economic
Freedom Fighters (EFF) party picketed outside stores of a leading retail
pharmacy on Monday over a controversial "racist" hair advertisement.
Wearing red party regalia, the supporters protested outside several
Clicks Pharmacy stores across the country, forcing them to shut over the
adverts posted on its website which described black hair as "dull" and
white hair as "normal".
The company which boasts of more than 500 branches across South Africa has apologised and pulled down the adverts.
The EFF wants the retail chain shut for five days.
"They must lose revenue, they must lose profits because of their
racism," said EFF vice president Floyd Shivambu, speaking in front of
one of the largest stores in Johannesburg's upmarket Sandton business
and shopping district -- considered Africa's richest square mile.
He was accompanied by around two dozen chanting supporters.
Further north in Polokwane, the capital of Limpopo province, EFF leader
Julius Malema led a group of more than 100 supporters who chanted in
front of a shuttered store.
"We are here to say peacefully that racism is violence," said Malema,
addressing his supporters at the Mall of the North, the largest in the
city.
"We need justice, not apology," said Malema. "Who calls black people
ugly?" he asked, calling on the advertising agent to be fired.
"White people insult us and they apologise, they think that is the end," he said.
"We have been projected as ugly people for a very long time by white
people. It has got to come to an end at some point and it starts total
with Clicks, we are tired."
The images sparked an uproar and gave birth to hashtags #RacismMustFall
and #BlackHairIsNormal -- with black women posting images of their
afros on Twitter.
The EFF staged protests in 2018 trashing outlets of Swedish clothing
giant Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) in Johannesburg over a controversial
advertisement of a black child.
A photo on the company's website of a black boy wearing a green hoodie
with the inscription "coolest monkey in the jungle" had triggered
outrage on social media.
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