HONG KONG — An episode of “The Simpsons” that refers to “pressured labor” in China has been reduce from Disney’s streaming service in Hong Kong, the place a nationwide safety legislation has raised rising censorship considerations.
NBC Information confirmed that the episode — “One Offended Lisa,” the second episode of the present season — was not accessible on the Hong Kong model of the Disney+ streaming service, but it surely was not clear when it had been eliminated.
The absence of the episode was first reported by the Monetary Occasions.
In a single scene of the episode, the character Marge Simpson is in a digital bike class throughout which the trainer exhibits photos of China’s Nice Wall and says, “Behold the wonders of China: bitcoin mines, pressured labor camps the place kids make smartphones.”
The Chinese language authorities denies allegations of pressured labor, in addition to accusations that Hong Kong’s freedoms have eroded underneath the nationwide safety legislation, which Beijing imposed in 2020 and says was vital to revive stability after months of anti-government protests.
That is the second “Simpsons” episode with an unflattering China reference to be reduce from the streaming service in Hong Kong, a former British colony that was promised a excessive diploma of autonomy when it returned to Chinese language rule in 1997. The earlier episode, which refers back to the 1989 Tiananmen Sq. crackdown and initially aired in 2005, has not been accessible in Hong Kong since Disney+ launched there in 2021. The service will not be accessible in mainland China.
Disney declined to remark publicly when approached by NBC Information. A spokesperson for the Hong Kong authorities stated Tuesday that its Movie Censorship Ordinance, which was amended in 2021 to permit officers to bar movies deemed “opposite” to nationwide safety pursuits, didn’t apply to streaming providers and that it didn’t touch upon particular person enterprise choices.
The spokesperson added that the 4 offenses established by the nationwide safety legislation — subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with overseas forces — and the related penalties have been clearly outlined.
“Legislation-abiding individuals and organizations won’t unwittingly violate the legislation,” the spokesperson stated.
Disney has a lot of enterprise pursuits in China, together with a theme park in Hong Kong.
Two movies from Disney-owned Marvel Studios are being launched this month in mainland China, the world’s second-largest film market after North America, ending an obvious ban that lasted greater than three years.
Disney’s elimination of the “Simpsons” episode may have been an act of self-censorship, stated Kenny Ng, a movie censorship skilled at Hong Kong Baptist College.
Carina Cheng contributed.