An episode of Simpson related to the massacre in the square is found reporting on Tiananmen missing from Disney Hong Kong streaming service. Subscribers have noticed that episode 12 is missing from season 16 of Disney+, which launched in the city this month.
This comes as Hong Kong authorities pressure the entertainment industry to ban films that violate strict national security laws. Disney has not yet commented on the missing episodes. In “Goo Goo Gai Pan,” the cartoon family visits China.
During their trip to Beijing, they visited Tiananmen Square, entitled, “Nothing happened at this site in 1989.” Reference to the censorship’s deadly repression of protesters that year. Demonstrators called for more political freedom, and soldiers killed many unarmed civilians.
No body knows precisely how many were kill. In June 1989, the Chinese government announce that 200 civilians and several dozen security guards had been killed. Other estimates range from hundreds to thousands.
In the episode, The Simpsons also visit the embalmed corpse of former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, whom Homer calls “the little angel who killed 50 million people. The Simpsons Mao led China through the Cultural Revolution and a devastating famine that killed millions.
Hong Kong authorities have found themselves in a stalemate following the national security law last year. The law, passed in 2019 after massive protests for democracy, criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collaboration with foreign powers.
Last month, Hong Kong lawmakers passed a new law banning films that violate China’s national security interests.
Hong Kong book publishers have acknowledged their self-censorship. And the biggest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was shut down earlier year as part of a national security probe. Many members of the opposition are now in prison or exile.