Civil servant disciplined for threatening barbershop

A civil servant in eastern China has been disciplined for threatening a barbershop owner after the owner refused to provide her with a service, local authorities said on Friday.

The worker, surnamed Wang, received a serious demerit, the joint investigation group in Tancheng county, Shandong province, said in a statement. The county's rural affairs bureau, where Wang works, was ordered to conduct self-reflection for lax management of its workers.

In a video circulating online, Wang was seen intimidating the barbershop owner by showing him her credential and uniform as a civil servant and saying that she would come again in the uniform and ask her colleagues to come for inspection.

The owner said in the video that he had turned down Wang's request to conduct a keratin treatment, a popular procedure to direct nutrients to the hair, because her hair was "too dry" and recommended her to do that treatment in the future when the hair was better.

The county established a team to investigate the situation. It found that the event happened on Aug 30, and Wang called the county's hotline after her visit to the barbershop to make a report saying that the barbershop had evaded tax duties. The county's tax officials came to the shop the next day and conducted an inspection.

The county said it would enhance its oversight on civil servants to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The incident has sparked anger among netizens, who have condemned Wang's behavior as abuse of power. Some have also called for stricter punishment for civil servants who abuse their power.