• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 1, 2015

In the face of a growing social media backlash against presidential candidate Donald Trump, Macy’s says it’s breaking off its relationship with the businessman, and will phase out the Trump merchandise it has been selling for over a decade.

"Macy’s is a company that stands for diversity and inclusion,” the company says in its statement. “We have no tolerance for discrimination in any form. We welcome all customers, and respect for the dignity of all people is a cornerstone of our culture. We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico. We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation. In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy’s values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection.”

Trump struck back on Instagram, in an announcement saying it was his decision to call off the partnership, condemning Macy’s for its “support of illegal immigration” and for caving in to pressure from “agitators.” He adds that he had never been happy that the goods were manufactured in China, anyway. “While selling Trump ties and shirts at Macy’s is a small business in terms of dollar volume, my principals are far more important and therefore much more valuable.”

He also criticized NBC, which fired him over remarks made in an interview, when he referred to Mexicans as “rapists and murderers.” Univision, Televisa and Ora TV, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, have also broken with Trump, who has said he is suing Univision for $500 million.

Both Presente.org, the largest online Latino organization in the U.S. with some 300,000 members, and MoveOn.org, which had mounted campaigns to pressure Macy’s into dumping Donald, applauded the chain store for its decision. “Today, diversity wins," says Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente.org, in a statement. "We are thrilled to see Macy’s dumping Donald Trump’s toxic discrimination against Latinos. Macy’s could never expect Latinos to flock to their stores while supporting a man who paints Mexican-Americans as rapists and killers, and we are encouraged that today, inclusion wins over discrimination."