A controversial episode of South Park — which was recently banned in China — was screened on a busy Hong Kong street in Sham Shui Po district on Tuesday night.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, it was not clear who had organized the screening, however it reportedly generated online discussion among protesters, who commended show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker as “prophets.”
The show was banned in China less than a week after a viral episode from Season 23 titled Band in China aired.
Multiple pictures from the screening surfaced on social media, depicting a crowd of people watching the episode as it played on projector screen set up on the sidewalk.
Following censorship of the show’s Band in China episode, Stone and Parker issued an “apology” to the Chinese government on Monday and later included another jab at the country’s politicians in South Park‘s 300th episode.
The crude and politically charged animated TV series released its landmark episode, titled Shots!!!, on Wednesday. While the main plot poked fun at the anti-vaxxer movement, South Park also took another dig at the Chinese government and wrapped up the Band in China episode’s main subplot at the same time.
READ MORE: ‘South Park’ banned in China after mocking Chinese government censors
Band in China heavily mocked not just Hollywood and the NBA but China’s censorship standards and the country’s current president, Xi Jinping.
In the episode, Randy Marsh, one of South Park’s main characters, sets off to China in hopes of expanding his marijuana business. Along the way, he meets a variety of Disney characters, all travelling to the country with the aim of striking a deal with the Chinese government.
Because he enters the country with marijuana, Randy is quickly thrown into jail, where he meets a locked-up and miserable Winnie the Pooh.
Winnie the Pooh has been aggressively censored in China since Xi’s election in 2012. The 66-year-old Chinese leader has frequently been compared to the cartoon bear on various social media platforms, prompting censorship of Winnie the Pooh references.
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Fortunately for Randy, in the Shots!!! episode, his marijuana business seems to work out for protesters in the communist country. However, after a disagreement and a falling out, his once-loyal former business partner, Towelie, judges him for conducting business with the Chinese government.
In one scene, Towelie persuades Randy to cut ties with the country. The scene was also shared to Twitter.
“OK, OK… no more selling to the Chinese,” Randy says in the clip.
“Then say it,” replies Towelie. “Say f–k the Chinese government.”
After a long pause, Randy yells: “F–k the Chinese government.”
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Brand-new episodes of South Park Season 23 air every Wednesday night.
Full episodes, including Band in China and Shots!!!, can be found through the official South Park Studios website.
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