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About the boy in H&M’s ‘monkey hoodie’ ad

Swedish retailer H&M has faced an uproar since it put a black 5-year-old model, Liam Mango, in a hoodie that read “coolest monkey in the jungle.” The ad appeared in the UK, but the backlash over its racial insensitivity spread as far as South Africa, where protesters trashed several stores and the brand shuttered its shops. H&M has apologized for what it called “a poorly judged product and image.” Now the child model’s mother, Terry Mango, has told the BBC that the family had moved out of their home in Stockholm because of security concerns. She didn’t give specifics on the concerns, but she mentioned the South Africa demonstrations as a factor. Terry Mango has faced criticism for saying she didn’t see the hoodie as racist. “I respect other people’s opinion on the issue,” Mango was quoted as telling the BBC. “I know racism exists, but does the shirt to me speak racism? No it doesn’t.” How does much does her son know about the uproar over the ad? Nothing, she says: “I just want him to have innocence.”

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