Starbucks to close 8,000 stores across US to give staff ‘racial-bias’ training after two black men were arrested for sitting down without ordering

UNDER fire coffee chain Starbucks is to close more than 8,000 branches in the United States as it gives 175,000 staff “racial-bias” training.

Stores across the country are due to be closed for several hours next month.

The move by the high street chain that was founded in 1971 comes after two black men were arrested at a store in Philadephia over sitting down without ordering anything.

Video footage of the arrests show cops speaking to two men sat at a table.

After a few minutes they were led away in handcuffs but witnesses say they were not doing anything wrong and just waiting for a friend to arrive.

The arrests sparked a backlash which included widespread protests and a call for a boycott on social media.

Protesters stormed the branch in Philadelphia chanting “Starbucks coffee is anti-black".

The group who temporarily occupied the Philadelphia branch, where two black men were arrested, held banners which read: "End Stop and Frisk", at around 7.30am on Monday.

Speaking to NBC before occupying the branch, one said: "If you can't go into a Starbucks to wait for a friend to come, you're not safe anywhere.

"We're going to occupy space, we're going to make it very uncomfortable until they make changes and until specifically they meet the demands we set forth."