On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Hungarians in Budapest used the beloved children's book character Winnie The Pooh to protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to their country.
Over the years Winnie the Pooh has been used to represent -- and criticise -- Xi Jinping.
The comparisons started since 2013 when an image of Xi walking with then US president Barack Obama sparked comparisons between them and Winnie the Pooh.
As a result, Chinese officials have censored images of the cartoon bear.
Chinese social media users were also blocked from posting references to Winnie the Pooh in 2017.
In August 2018, Chinese censors banned the release of Christopher Robin, a film adaptation of A A Milne's beloved story about Winnie the Pooh.
On March 21, 2023, another film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey written and directed by British film-maker Rhys Frake-Waterfield was removed at the last minute from theatres in Hong Kong and Macau.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
