France Seeks 3-month Suspension of Shein Over Childlike Dolls, Weapons

The French government will ask a Paris judge to approve a three-month suspension of Shein’s website after weapons and sex dolls resembling children were listed on the platform by third-party sellers, a finance ministry official said on Nov. 25.

Access to the retailer’s online marketplace was suspended earlier in November after the dolls were discovered for sale. The Nov. 5 suspension was to allow Shein to demonstrate that all of its content is compliant with French laws and regulations, according to the French Ministry of Economics and Finance.

Earlier this month, French officials also urged the European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, to launch an official investigation into Shein.

On Nov. 26, a Paris court is scheduled to hold a hearing on a fast-tracked judicial procedure launched by the government. The government has summoned Infinite Styles Services, the Dublin-registered firm operating Shein’s European business. Lawyers for the company are also expected to be present. France has also summoned major internet service providers to the hearing, requesting that they block Shein’s website.

Shein and Infinite Styles Services did not respond by publication time to a request for comment.

France’s action is based on Article 6.3 of the digital economy law, which allows a judge to order measures aimed at preventing or stopping harm linked to online content.

The court will have to decide whether a suspension is warranted and whether it is in line with EU law. Under EU law, online marketplaces, as intermediaries, are not directly liable for products sold by third parties, but they have an obligation to remove illegal products as soon as they become aware of them.

The ministry official said the government knows how powerful Shein is from a technical standpoint, noting its use of artificial intelligence in production.

“So we can assume that it has the technical, technological and financial means to carry out these checks,” the official said during a news briefing. “The fact is that it does not do so.”

On Nov. 5, French lawmaker Antoine Vermorel-Marques, in a post on X, also highlighted listings on Shein’s platform for brass knuckles and other weapons.

Commerce and Small Business Minister Serge Papin said in the French Parliament on Nov. 5: “This is too much. After child pornography dolls, now weapons.”

He then ordered the suspension of the platform, French news outlet TF1 Info reported.

Rising Scrutiny

Shein was founded in China but moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2022. It is widely known for its low-cost, fast-fashion model and also operates a marketplace that hosts independent sellers.

In a statement sent to The Epoch Times on Nov. 6, the company said it had taken note of the French government’s suspension announcement and was committed to addressing “any concerns swiftly.”

Shein also said it temporarily suspended listings from independent third-party vendors on its French marketplace to “review and strengthen how third-party vendors operate” on its website.

The retailer also faces scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, who last week asked Shein CEO Xu Yangtian to clarify how childlike sex dolls were allowed to appear on its e-commerce platform.

Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), joined by 32 other members of Congress, said in a joint letter that, as per Shein’s own policies, illegal or restricted goods are banned on its website. This includes items that promote child abuse and exploitation.

The lawmakers expressed concern that items similar to those found on the company’s French marketplace may have been available in the United States.

Guy Birchall and Reuters contributed to this report.