Shanghai (AFP)
Four Chinese students filed a lawsuit against Disney after being banned from bringing their picnic to a group theme park in Shanghai, amidst commercial tensions with Washington.
The complainants, four law students, denounce a discriminatory practice of the American entertainment giant against Asian visitors, the ban on bringing food does not apply, according to them, in Disney parks in France and in the USA.
In the midst of the Sino-US trade war, the complaint was found to be admissible by the Chinese courts.
A student named Wang, quoted this week by the press, said she was denied the entrance to Shanghai Disneyland Park in January with food and had to pay "at a high price" for a meal inside the school. site. According to her, such a regulation infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of visitors.
"Many people may also feel that their rights have been violated, but for time and cost they do not launch legal proceedings," she told the Shanghai-based website, The Paper. .
But "as law students, it is our duty" to make a complaint, she justified.
A local court told AFP that the case was referred to the main city court. The date of the hearing was not known immediately.
The case provokes lively debates on social networks.
"The rules of Disney are an example of a double standard and discrimination against Asia", won a surfer on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
"Do not go is the best way to protest," advised another.
The official People's Daily, organ of the ruling Communist Party, on Monday commented that Disney does not seek to "better respect the rights and interests of consumers".
China and the United States have been engaged since last year in a trade showdown that has already resulted in reciprocal customs surcharges on hundreds of billions of dollars in annual imports.
Disneyland Shanghai did not respond to an email from AFP asking for clarification.
The park, inaugurated in 2016, is the sixth of Disney in the world and the third in Asia.
© 2019 AFP