diff --git a/Cython/Compiler/ExprNodes.py b/Cython/Compiler/ExprNodes.py
index 78d26513943d6234d0c7fd88678e842839e07947..9d1492264b2e2cd0ae4b2ca5502909fc6c229ac2 100755
--- a/Cython/Compiler/ExprNodes.py
+++ b/Cython/Compiler/ExprNodes.py
@@ -7706,8 +7706,11 @@ static CYTHON_INLINE int __Pyx_PyUnicode_Equals(PyObject* s1, PyObject* s2, int
             Py_UCS4 ch1 = PyUnicode_READ_CHAR(s1, 0);
             Py_UCS4 ch2 = PyUnicode_READ_CHAR(s2, 0);
             return (equals == Py_EQ) ? (ch1 == ch2) : (ch1 != ch2);
-        } else if (PyUnicode_MAX_CHAR_VALUE(s1) != PyUnicode_MAX_CHAR_VALUE(s2)) {
-            return (equals == Py_NE);
+"""
+## currently disabled: may not be safe depending on who created the string
+#        } else if (PyUnicode_MAX_CHAR_VALUE(s1) != PyUnicode_MAX_CHAR_VALUE(s2)) {
+#            return (equals == Py_NE);
+"""\
         #else
         if (PyUnicode_GET_SIZE(s1) != PyUnicode_GET_SIZE(s2)) {
             return (equals == Py_NE);