Responding to news that the Chinese government has removed an estimated 30,000 Peppa Pig videos from the internet, Patrick Poon, Amnesty International’s China researcher, said:

“Banning Peppa Pig is further proof of just how sensitive the Chinese government’s censorship is.

“Last year, outlawing Winnie-the-Pooh was laughed at, and now we have a ridiculous new example of the state’s crackdown on the freedom of the internet.

“These ludicrous bans show that the Chinese government is relentless in its pursuit to get rid of any online content that could be considered a threat to the regime, no matter how irreverent or subtle the message might be.”

Last year, images of Winnie-the-Pooh were banned from the internet after users posted pictures comparing the cartoon character to President Xi Jinping.