Protesters in Winnie the Pooh costumes descend on DC for Xi visit

• Protesters in Winnie the Pooh outfits took to the streets of Washington, D.C. on Thursday to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping ’s official state visit .
• Demonstrators often don the costume at protests after the country banned the character following online posts comparing Pooh to Xi, saying he resembles the talking bear.
• Some protesters waved Taiwanese flags Thursday and held signs calling for religious freedom and an end to what they call dictatorship. Some wore white T-shirts reading, “End the CCP,” an acronym for the Chinese Communist Party, while others held a large banner declaring, “The CCP’s crimes against humanity are countless.”
• Meanwhile, around 200 supporters of the Chinese leader gathered outside the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where Xi is staying, waving Chinese and American flags and chanting, “Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome.”
• Human Rights Watch said it has low expectations for what might come out of Trump’s meeting with Xi. “Human rights are not likely to be on the agenda, as both leaders have shown disregard for international human rights norms meant to constrain state power,” said Maya Wang, HRW’s Deputy Asia Director, writing in an emailed statement.