A video clip showing 'ShellieMay', a performer at Shanghai Disney, getting beaten on the head by a tourist went viral on Chinese social media over the weekend.
According to a report by Shine, the attacker has been banned from the resort for six months.
The video was released last Saturday and showed a performer dressed as 'ShellieMay' (a bear character introduced by Disney in 2010) mingling with the visitors, before a male tourist suddenly rushed up to hit her heavily on the head.
"That man struck so severely that I could even hear the ‘boom’ sound," said the uploader on Weibo. According to her, the actress covered her head due to the pain and was subsequently escorted to the staff lounge.
Shanghai Disney responded to the misdeed and tracked down the tourist, who was asked to leave the resort promptly. He is, in addition, prohibited from entering the resort for six months.
The incident incurred fury among netizens. "What's wrong with this tourist?" an angry netizen wrote on The Paper. "Why doesn't he go to the zoo and pick a fight with a real bear?" was another reaction to the atrocity displayed in the video.
Unfortunately, this incident echoes another mishap on Shanghai Disney's property last year, which saw employees harassed by rude tourists. One of the staff members even suffered a slight concussion after the blow.
While the exact cause of the male tourist's misbehavior is still being investigated, it is apparent that netizens are not pleased with a temporary ban. "Shouldn't the attacker be banned from Disney forever?" comments one netizen on The Paper.
For the time-being, Shanghai Disney has thanked netizens for expressing their solicitude, and asked visitors to respect every staff member on the resort.
[Images via The Paper and Sohu]
