Tradition of wedding banter is no excuse for sexual harassment

A BRIDESMAID IN XI'AN, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, decided not to call the police or press charges against two male guests who sexually harassed her at a wedding. Beijing News commented on Monday:

A video in which two wedding guests can be seen molesting the bridesmaid at the wedding has gone viral on the Chinese internet, provoking public anger at the disgraced men's behavior and deep discussion over the sexual banter that is a traditional characteristic of Chinese weddings, which as shown in the video can easily get out of hand.

In China, bridesmaids are often subjected to sexual harassment at wedding banquets. Many of them, including the one in Xi'an, choose to do nothing after being sexually harassed, because the ill-behaved male guests are friends of the newlyweds.