The Government of France has ordered the temporary suspension of the Chinese e-commerce platform Shein until the company certifies that “all its content complies with the laws and regulations in force” in the country, according to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The measure, dictated by direct instruction of the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, comes in the midst of a media storm due to the appearance on the portal of childlike sex dolls, sold by third parties, with descriptions considered pedopornographic. In response, Shein announced the suspension of sales of products offered by third-party sellers within France, citing “concerns over certain independent advertisements,” as stated in information from EFE.
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It coincides with the opening of its first store in Paris
The Executive’s announcement came just two hours after the company inaugurated its first physical store in Europe, located in the iconic Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV) building, in front of the Paris City Hall and a few meters from Notre-Dame. The 1,200 square meter premises opened to the public at 1:00 p.m. local time.
The context could not have been more delicate: the Paris Prosecutor’s Office had opened an investigation days before for “dissemination of images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature”, a process that not only affects Shein, but also AliExpress, Temu and Wish, for allowing the publication of “violent, pornographic or degrading content accessible to minors”.
Parliamentary investigation and political pressure
On November 18, Shein executives must appear before a parliamentary commission created to clarify how illicit products could be marketed in French territory. At the same time, a group of deputies announced the presentation of a European resolution to toughen the community response to “fast fashion” and demand that Brussels take a firmer stance towards the Chinese company.
Among the promoters is the conservative deputy Antoine Vermorel-Marques, who also plans to report to the Prosecutor’s Office the sale of prohibited weapons, such as machetes or brass knuckles, detected on the platform. “It is offered as a best-seller and even with a discount for Christmas. That is already too much,” the legislator wrote on his networks, recalling that the marketing of these weapons can be punished with penalties of up to five years in prison and a 75,000-euro fine.
Environmental impact and lack of labor rights
The French crisis hits Shein at a time of strong global expansion. The giant of e-commerce had intensified its presence in Europe with pop-up stores and an aggressive pricing strategy. However, accusations about lack of content control, environmental impact and violation of labor rights have put its model under the scrutiny of the European Union.
The European Commission is keeping e-commerce platforms based outside the bloc under observation, within the framework of the Digital Services Regulation (DSA), which requires large technology companies to guarantee the elimination of illegal content and the traceability of sellers.