Disney Plus has recently launched in the Hong Kong market and many viewers in the region are now able to watch the long-running The Simpsons, which streams on the platform, for the very first time. However, many subscribers are now reporting that at least one episode has been censored.
The episode in question, “Goo Goo Gai Pan” contained at least two references to the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, specifically referencing the now-iconic photo of Tank Man, an unknown protester physically blocking a row of Chinese tanks. The episode takes several comedic swipes at the Chinese government which in the episode has attempted to suppress all memory of the incident.
Prior to the Chinese government’s passing of the new national security law last June, mentions of Tiananmen were permitted and a candlelight memorial was performed yearly in honor of the massacre’s victims. Years of protests however have led to a severe crackdown by the mainland authority and the vigils have been expressly forbidden.
The Hong Kong Free Press has reached out to Disney, but neither they nor Chinese officials have commented upon the matter so far.
