Zara denies supporting Hong Kong protests after claim by Chinese state media over citywide Monday’s strike

Fashion retail giant Zara has vehemently denied accusations that it supports the anti-government protests in Hong Kong after a Chinese government-affiliated newspaper demanded a “solemn explanation” from the Spanish fashion brand for closing some of its stores in the city during Monday’s strike.

University students, school pupils and members of the general public from all walks of life went on a citywide strike on Monday, but in a Chinese-language statement published on its social media network Weibo on Monday night, Zara said that it “never expressed any views or took any actions” in support of the action.

“Zara supports the integrity of the territorial sovereignty of the People's Republic of China and has always supported the ‘one country, two systems’,” the statement from the world’s largest fashion retail chain added.

“Zara needs to make a solemn explanation and correct its own practices, giving a serious response to those who are patriotic to Hong Kong and China as well as the general public on the mainland. Nowadays, events in Hong Kong have received a lot of attention from China. The public will not accept [the shutting of] Zara stores in Hong Kong. Zara should not make serious misjudgments,” read the Global Times commentary.

Zara has 12 stores in Hong Kong, but according to local media reports, only one of its four stores on Hong Kong Island was open on Monday. Its Harbour City branch in Tsim Sha Tsui was also closed, although stores in the New Territories remained open as usual, the reports said.