They expose a woman inappropriately touching Gaston's character in Disney Register for free to continue reading

A TikTok user has urged fans not to harass Disney employees after sharing a video of Gaston's character breaking out of his role after being groped on the chest by a woman.

This week, Evan Snead, who uses the username @evansnead on TikTok, where he often shares facts and behind-the-scenes videos about Disney theme parks, posted the TikTok as a reminder to guests of the importance of treating guests. Disney cast members with respect.

In the clip, which is titled: "Girl harasses Gaston and he (rightly) forces her OUT," a woman can be seen standing next to the Disney employee dressed as the character from Beauty and the Beast, presumably for a photo, before placing both hands on his chest.

The encounter drew an instant response from the Disney cast member, who stepped away before waving the woman away, telling her: “You're out. NOW".

At first, the woman didn't seem to understand the character's reaction, as she continued to stand next to the clerk and laugh. However, she could be heard raising her voice and telling him, "Go away."

On the TikTok, the woman could be seen trying to get her hands back on the Disney employee, at which point he again motioned for her to leave.

"Stop. Stop. It's over," the guest is heard saying as she led her away. "There are children!"

After playing the clip on TikTok, Snead appeared on screen to urge viewers not to harass Disney employees.

"Please don't be that person," said Snead who later acknowledged that the video in question, which is from 2015, is not new, as Gaston is not meeting guests at the moment, before continuing: "But Also, he had every right to.

“And, just so you know, if you harass characters like that, most of the time, they're not going to participate. They're not going to think it's cute."

Snead then explained why the setting is inappropriate no matter the setting, continuing: “If you don't want a stranger coming up to you, in public, in your workplace, and putting their hands on you, then don't do it. Don't do it to the characters."

“The characters want you to have a great time and enjoy getting to know them, but it's their workplace. It's a family business place," Snead said, before reminding viewers that the characters are "people too" and should not be subjected to "uncomfortable touching or language."

The video, which has since been viewed more than 11.8 million times, has sparked hundreds of comments from viewers who agree with Snead.

“The fact that she didn't seem to understand why he was forcing her to leave infuriates me! Why do you think it's okay for her to touch someone you don't know?” one person commented.

Another said: “No one should be touched without permission. That Gaston is an absolute king for how he handled that situation."

The video also prompted viewers who work as character performers to agree, with one viewer writing, “As a character performer, please don't do things like this! And another great thing is please don't let your kids run around hitting us and stuff!"

However, there were also those who tried to defend the woman, with someone else commenting, "He just ruined the fun for her," while another said, "He completely overreacted."

Read more: Theme park did not check that the girl was buckled before she died

Speaking to The Independent about the video going viral, Snead said he was "VERY surprised" by the reaction to TikTok, explaining: "A lot of people came to defend the [woman], a lot of people can defend Gaston."

He then said that he likes to take the opportunity to remind people to treat Disney cast members with respect. “I always like to send out little PSAs to people to just treat Disney cast members with respect and treat them how they would like to be treated,” she continued.

And while he said it was "really amazing" that more than 10 million people watched the video, as he "thought the video would stay in my little bubble of Disney fans and friends," he hopes it educates others.

"I hope it sheds some light on how to treat others with respect and reaches people who otherwise might not have known proper etiquette when it comes to meeting Disney characters," he said.