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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Justin McCurry in Tokyo

Winnie the Pooh joins Chinese Covid lockdown protests

Xi Jinping Disney Winnie Pooh AA Milne Japan Shinzo Abe China
A demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, in support of protests in China against President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy
A demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday in support of protests in China against Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy. Photograph: Taidgh Barron/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

Years after he became character non grata in China, Winnie the Pooh is exacting quiet revenge against the country’s government in the form of Disney souvenirs.

In what appears to be a case of incidental resistance, Disney stores in Japan are selling a line of merchandise featuring a frowning Pooh looking at a blank sheet of white paper – a symbol of ongoing protests in China against censorship and Covid-19 restrictions.

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