(Reuters) – Here are some reactions to the news that Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina has resigned as prime minister and fled the country following violent street protests.
BANGLADESHIS IN LONDON
In Whitechapel, a London neighbourhood home to a large Bangladeshi community, many took to the streets to celebrate.
Waving their national flag and honking car horns, they chanted: “Bangladesh! Bangladesh!”
“Bangladesh has achieved its second independence now,” said Abu Sayem, 50. “We actually got our independence first in 1971 but autocrat Sheikh Hasina was ruling the country forcibly. She has snatched away our rights. She has killed thousands of children.”
Cab driver Ishtiaque Choudhury said: “It is a relief for us and I’m happy for my nation.”
HENNES & MAURITZ (H&M)
A spokesperson for H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, which has many suppliers in Bangladesh, said: “We are concerned about the developments and the violence and hope for a peaceful agreement. Our teams on the ground are continuously monitoring the developments.”
HULA GLOBAL
Clothing manufacturer Hula Global, which serves major U.S. store chains, said it had re-directed its apparel orders from Bangladesh to India for the rest of the year because of the unrest. “We do not want to risk our existing order book because of the political turmoil,” it said.
GERMANY
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the latest developments, saying only that it is “important that Bangladesh continue on its democratic path”.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum, Marie Mannes, Friederike Heine, Catarina Demony and Marissa Davison; writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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