Online video streaming service Disney+ appears to have censored another episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong after the show made reference to “forced labour camps” in China.

Photo: The Simpsons screenshot.

The episode, first released last October, was noted as missing on the local version of the streaming platform by the Financial Times.

Entitled “One Angry Lisa,” the episode includes images of the Great Wall of China with the caption: “Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labour camps where children make smartphones.”

Photos: The Simpsons.

In 2021, HKFP reported that a 2005 episode in which the cartoon family visits the mummified body of ex-Chinese leader Mao Zedong was similarly cut by Disney+ in Hong Kong.

China has faced international sanctions over forced labour accusations in Xinjiang and criticism from the UN. It has nevertheless denied rights violations in the Muslim-dominated region.

Photo: The Simpsons screenshot.

The local government told the Financial Times that its new film censorship regime did not apply to streaming services, whilst Disney – which has parks and business interests in the city and in mainland China – declined to comment.

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Tom Grundy

Tom is the editor-in-chief and founder of Hong Kong Free Press. He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He has contributed to the BBC, Euronews, Al-Jazeera and others.