In the wake of the violent protests and subsequent clashes between local police and demonstrators, H&M decided to close all stores in the country to keep both shoppers and staff safe.

“What matters most to us is the safety of our employees and customers,” H&M South Africa said in a statement to local media. “We have temporarily closed our stores in South Africa. None of our staff or customers have been injured. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will open the stores as soon as the situation is safe again. We strongly believe that racism and bias in any shape or form, deliberate or accidental, are simply unacceptable. We stress that our wonderful store staff had nothing to do with our poorly judged product and image.”

Beyond protests in South Africa, the retailer has faced widespread criticism for the advertisement. A number of prominent figures criticized the ad on social media, including rapper and songwriter Sean Combs and basketball star LeBron James. A number of high-profile celebrities also cut ties with the retailer over the ad, including rappers G-Eazy and The Weeknd. The Weeknd, who previously sold his own merchandise through H&M retail stores and also modeled for the retailer, said the advertisement made him feel both “shocked and embarrassed.”

The H&M scandal is the most recent in a string of incidents in which consumers have accused retailers of running insensitive or offensive advertisements. In 2014, for example, Spanish clothing retailer Zara faced widespread backlash for an advertisement featuring striped pajamas with a yellow star, which many alleged was reminiscent of the clothes that Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps were forced to wear. Last year, personal care brand Dove was forced to issue public apologies after an ad featuring a black woman turning into a white woman sparked outrage.