Kris Wu: Here's why Chinese auto firm fired staff amid rape allegation against ex EXO star
Much has progressed since news of sexual misconduct scandal revolving around Chinese-Canadian actor and former member of the K-pop group EXO, Wu Yi Fan aka Kris Wu, broke out. In the latest development, The Global Times reported that employees were fired by popular auto brand NETA Auto under Chinese manufacturer Hozon Auto for publicly discussing a potential collaboration with Kris Wu.
Wu was detained by police on suspicion of rape after multiple women came forward with allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against him. The complaints came to light last month after a young student named Du Meizhu accused the actor of raping her while she was drunk. Wu, who is considered one of the biggest Chinese celebrities at present, has been accused of inappropriate behavior by no less than 24 women.
This entire scandal has gone viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo as more and more drama surrounding the scandal unveils. The public expressed their outrage as the auto firm fired employees for discussing amongst themselves their current collaborative status with Wu. It is reported that one of the employees pitched the possibility of having Wu come on board to represent the brand as its ambassador.
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The employees wanted to give Kris Wu a second chance
It is reported that the employee who pitched the idea of having Wu on board expected it to be a hit as the spirit of the brand NETA Auto was to give people a second chance. They discussed this idea with fellow workers believing that any publicity would work in favor of the brand. If they were to garner positive feedback, their plan would be deemed successful and if it failed, the employee believed that it would not affect the brand much as they would have already caught the public eye for causing a stir - ultimately making them internet famous in no time.
They went on to add that supposing if it went downhill, the team could simply apologize and fire the staff responsible for it. It is said that several employees approved the idea but as soon as it was discussed further, all employees involved were fired by NETA Auto for having no sense of social values. The brand thought this entire fiasco would have been a bad influence on their social policy as it went against the purpose and principles of the company.
Weibo deletes Kris Wu and his supporters
Earlier this week it was reported that Weibo had suspended Wu’s personal account as well as a large number of discussion threads, groups and fan accounts who spoke in support of Wu. Not only that, as the scandal keeps brewing, more controversial stories have started circulating on the social networking platform. As of this week, there seem to be photos of Wu being detained in prison whilst wearing a uniform and having his head shaved. Some believe they are fake while others share them claiming it to be true.
Another uproar broke out when a Weibo conversation was shared on Twitter claiming that Wu died by suicide as he could not bear the trauma behind staying in prison. All of this was posted as conjecture because there is no way to confirm the authenticity of the claim unless it comes from official sources. Many brands including Louis Vuitton, Kans, Porsche, and Lancôme have dropped Wu from representing them.