Simpsons episode that mentions ‘forced labor camps’ in China is cut from Disney+ in Hong Kong
These clips from ‘The Simpsons’ are missing from Disney+ in Hong Kong
01:01
— Source:
CNN
Hong Kong
CNN
—
An episode of “The Simpsons” that includes a line about “forced labor camps” in mainland China has been pulled from Disney’s streaming platform in Hong Kong.
A scene in the second episode of its latest season depicts the show’s matriarch, Marge Simpson, cycling on an indoor spin bike with an on-screen instructor in front of a virtual background of the Great Wall of China.
During the scene, the instructor says: “Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones, and romance.”
CNN has confirmed that the episode — which first aired in October — is unavailable on the Hong Kong version of Disney+. The episode, however, is available to watch in the United States on Hulu, another Disney platform.
The removal comes after the introduction of a controversial national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, which bans “sedition, secession and subversion” against Beijing.
It also enables Chinese national security agencies to operate in the city.
The Financial Times was first to report the news on Monday. Disney
(DIS) declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government told CNN that it would not comment on individual business decisions, including whether it had approached Disney to take down the episode.
But offenses under the national security law, the spokesperson said, “are clearly defined” and “law-abiding people and organizations will not unwittingly violate the law.
”
The person clarified that a separate film censorship law only pertains to the exhibition of films, and does not “apply to streaming services or internet platforms.”
A photo illustration taken on November 29, 2021 of a mobile phone displaying the Disney+ streaming service in Hong Kong shows a list of episodes of popular US cartoon series «The Simpsons», with episode 12 of season 16 — which depicts a scene of the Simpsons at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the site of a deadly 1989 crackdown against democracy protesters — missing from the list, adding to concerns about mainland China-style censorship in the city. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP) (Photo by PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images
Fans noticed a Simpsons episode is missing from Disney+ in Hong Kong
In November 2021, the Hollywood giant removed another episode of “The Simpsons” from its Disney+ platform in Hong Kong. It featured a scene in Tiananmen Square, the site of a brutal massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989.
In that episode, the Simpsons family visiting the Chinese capital comes across a sign in the square that says, “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.
”
The latest reference comes as China continues to be accused of forced labor, particularly in its far western region of Xinjiang.
In 2021, the United States barred all imports from the region, where the US State Department has estimated that up to two million Uyghurs and members of other ethnic groups have been imprisoned in a network of internment camps. Former detainees have alleged they were subjected to intense political indoctrination, forced labor, torture, and sexual abuse in such sites.
China has fiercely denied committing human rights violations in Xinjiang.
It has previously said it established such centers as a way to counter “extremism” in the region.
— CNN’s Tara Subramaniam contributed to this report.
Disney removes ‘Simpsons’ episode with China ‘forced labor’ reference from Hong Kong
Culture Matters
This is the second episode of the animated series to become inaccessible in the Chinese territory, where a national security law has raised growing censorship concerns.
A scene from the “Simpsons” episode “One Angry Lisa,” which refers to “forced labor” in China and is no longer available on the Disney+ streaming service in Hong Kong.Everett Collection / Alamy
By Jennifer Jett
HONG KONG — An episode of “The Simpsons” that refers to “forced labor” in China has been cut from Disney’s streaming service in Hong Kong, where a national security law has raised growing censorship concerns.
NBC News confirmed that the episode — “One Angry Lisa,” the second episode of the current season — was not available on the Hong Kong version of the Disney+ streaming service, but it was not clear when it had been removed.
The absence of the episode was first reported by the Financial Times.
In one scene of the episode, the character Marge Simpson is in a virtual bike class during which the instructor shows images of China’s Great Wall and says, “Behold the wonders of China: bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.”
The Chinese government denies allegations of forced labor, as well as accusations that Hong Kong’s freedoms have eroded under the national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 and says was necessary to restore stability after months of anti-government protests.
This is the second “Simpsons” episode with an unflattering China reference to be cut from the streaming service in Hong Kong, a former British colony that was promised a high degree of autonomy when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The previous episode, which refers to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and originally aired in 2005, has not been available in Hong Kong since Disney+ launched there in 2021. The service is not available in mainland China.
Disney declined to comment publicly when approached by NBC News. A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said Tuesday that its Film Censorship Ordinance, which was amended in 2021 to allow officials to bar films deemed “contrary” to national security interests, did not apply to streaming services and that it did not comment on individual business decisions.
The spokesperson added that the four offenses established by the national security law — subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces — and the associated penalties were clearly defined.
“Law-abiding people and organizations will not unwittingly violate the law,” the spokesperson said.
Disney has a number of business interests in China, including a theme park in Hong Kong.
Two films from Disney-owned Marvel Studios are being released this month in mainland China, the world’s second-largest movie market after North America, ending an apparent ban that lasted more than three years.
Disney’s removal of the “Simpsons” episode could have been an act of self-censorship, said Kenny Ng, a film censorship expert at Hong Kong Baptist University.
“The company may have proactively removed any potentially offensive images or narratives from its products and streaming service to play safe for its future business in China,” he told NBC News in an email.
Jennifer Jett
Jennifer Jett is the Asia digital editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.
Carina Cheng contributed.
Disney Bans ‘The Simpsons’ Episode Criticizing Chinese Authorities — KinoNews.ru Marvel Studios, Disney’s parent company, has banned Hong Kong Disney+ streaming subscribers from watching an episode of The Simpsons that criticizes the country’s authoritarian government.
The episode titled “Angry Lisa” aired in October 2022. It has a scene where the peloton instructor (parodied as Pedolan) says, “Look at the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where kids make smartphones.” This is what caused the series to be removed from the Hong Kong streaming catalogue.
Note that Disney has had a difficult relationship with China over the years. In 2020, she was heavily criticized for a 78-second scene in the remake of Mulan, which was filmed in Xinjiang province; where, in the west, there are believed to be camps where members of the Uyghur ethnic minority and other Muslims were sent.
Disney has also been accused of removing LGBTQ references from versions of films destined for the Chinese market to avoid the country’s strict laws restricting depictions of same-sex relationships.
When did China allow the distribution of Marvel movies again?
On January 23, 2023, China approved the release dates for Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania, ending the unofficial ban, and Disney doesn’t seem to want to rock the boat.
Andrey Vorontsov
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Will you watch Disney+ projects? We remind you that from November 12 on the platform it will be possible to watch not only the old works of the studio, but also a remake of Lady and the Tramp.
