Disney removes Simpsons 'forced labour' episode in Hong Kong

Disney has removed an occurrence of The Simpsons referring to Chinese labour camps from its streaming work successful Hong Kong.

The lack of the One Angry Lisa occurrence successful its latest play was flagged successful media reports this week. It is unclear erstwhile it was removed.

Disney has declined to reply to the BBC's queries.

There person been rising concerns astir censorship successful Hong Kong aft it passed respective arguable laws.

The metropolis had antecedently had entree to much civilian freedoms than the Chinese mainland, but Beijing has clamped down connected these rights since large pro-democracy protests rocked the metropolis successful 2019.

In the episode, which archetypal aired past October, the quality Marge Simpson is shown images of the Great Wall of China during an workout class.

During the class, her teacher comments: "Behold the wonders of China: Bitcoin mines, forced labour camps wherever children marque smartphones."

The Chinese authorities denies this and says the factories are portion of a voluntary "poverty alleviation" scheme.

The Simpsons has been shown connected and disconnected successful mainland China since the aboriginal 2000s. Clips from the existent play tin beryllium recovered connected Chinese streaming sites, but not of that peculiar scene, according to a BBC cheque connected Tuesday.

Censorship of Western TV is commonplace successful mainland China, and critics accidental this signifier has been expanding successful Hong Kong.

Hollywood studios person antecedently been accused of removing perchance objectionable contented to Chinese censors successful bid to clasp entree to the ample Chinese market.

In 2020, Hong Kong passed a wide-ranging national information instrumentality which criminalises acts of subversion, oregon undermining the powerfulness oregon authorization of the cardinal government.

Authorities accidental it is indispensable to support order, but opponents accidental it has been utilized to soundlessness critics and ideology activists. On Monday, the proceedings for Hong Kong's largest nationalist information lawsuit began with 47 radical accused of "subversion".

In 2021, the city's legislature passed a movie censorship instrumentality aimed astatine contented deemed to "endorse, support, glorify, promote and incite activities that mightiness endanger nationalist security".

Officials said astatine the clip that the instrumentality did not use to streaming services.