HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, has apologized and pulled from its in-flight entertainment system an episode of the American animated series “Family Guy” that referred to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The episode includes a seven-second scene in which the main character, Peter Griffin, is shown standing beside a protester in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in front of a row of tanks.
PacknGo.hk, an online platform specializing in travel-related services, reported that a reader alleged the episode may violate the National Security Law.
Public discussion of the Tiananmen Square crackdown has effectively been silenced in Hong Kong under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 as well as local national security legislation unanimously enacted by Hong Kong’s opposition-free legislature in March.
The issue has also affected streaming services such as Disney+, whose Hong Kong version does not include episodes of “The Simpsons” that refer to the Tiananmen Square crackdown and accusations of forced labor.
Persons:
Guy ”, Peter Griffin, Adek Berry, PacknGo.hk, ”, Hong Kong’s
Organizations:
Cathay, Hong Kong’s, People’s Liberation Army, Getty, NBC News, National Security Law, National Security Department, Hong Kong Police Force, Disney
Locations:
HONG KONG, Cathay Pacific, China, Beijing, AFP, British, Hong Kong