China has banned Winnie the Pooh from certain social media platforms. Those who search for the character on Weibo, a Chinese platform similar to Twitter, are told the "content is illegal."
The ban follows a proposal by China's Communist Party to remove the current term limit on the presidency, potentially allowing President Xi Jinping to stay in office longer than expected.
You're probably wondering how these two things are related. Well, in China, "Winnie the Pooh" is a pretty well-known nickname for President Xi — and not a very nice one.
After the term limit proposal, users took to social media to voice their disapproval. Some used images of Winnie the Pooh, prompting Chinese censors to remove them.
This isn't the first time Winnie the Pooh has been censored. He was banned in 2013 when users posted photos of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger walking alongside a photo of President Xi and then-President Barack Obama in a strikingly similar stance.
The silly old bear joins a list of banned phrases, which according to the BBC include "I don't agree," "migration" and "proclaiming oneself an emperor."
