Chinese Airline Launches Investigation After 'Family Guy' Episode with Tiananmen Square Joke Shown to Passengers

Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong's flagship carrier, has apologized and removed an episode of Family Guy from its in-flight entertainment system following a complaint that the content may violate China's national security law.

The episode, "Death Has a Shadow," from the show's first season, includes a scene referencing the iconic "Tank Man" moment from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. In the animated clip, cartoon family man Peter Griffin stands next to a man facing military tanks in Tiananmen Square.

Cathay Pacific issued a statement expressing regret to affected customers, South China Morning Post reported. "We emphasize that the program's content does not represent Cathay Pacific's standpoint and have immediately arranged to have the program removed," a spokesperson said.

The reference to "Tank Man" evokes the widely recognized image of a lone protester standing in front of tanks following the Chinese military's violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing. The unidentified individual stood his ground until he was pulled away by bystanders. Discussion of the event remains highly sensitive and heavily censored in China.

Cathay has pledged to review its content selection process to avoid similar incidents in the future.