Lots of Winnie the Pooh on your newsfeeds? It's Filipino netizens' burn against Chinese leader Xi

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 20) — Militant groups took to the streets to express their ire against the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, but a handful of netizens also protested by changing their profile photos to the cute and cuddly Winnie the Pooh.

On Facebook, several Filipino users on Tuesday changed their profile photos to the icon of the honey-loving teddy bear.

Meanwhile, some users posted not-so-subtle digs against the Chinese leader.

You may be thinking: How is Xi, who is considered a strong leader, connected to Pooh Bear?

The Chinese government has cracked down on images of Winnie the Pooh after its netizens linked Pooh to Xi, saying there is an uncanny resemblance between the two.

Related: Chinese internet censors crack down on ... Winnie the Pooh

In 2013, Chinese netizens posted photos of Xi with his then-US counterpart Barack Obama, They noted the resemblance of their photo with the photo of Pooh strolling with his tiger friend Tigger. There was also a picture of a handshake between Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe compared to the image of Pooh and his gloomy donkey friend Eeyore.

Comedian John Oliver was also scrubbed from Chinese microblogging site Weibo after satirizing Xi on his HBO show, "Last Week Tonight" in June.

Oliver criticized Xi on everything from the removal of term limits, allowing him to rule for life, China's economic leverage, and censorship.

Related: China censors John Oliver after scathing 20 minute video

One of his critiques focused on censorship. He also joked about Xi's alleged "insecurity" about his resemblance to Winnie the Pooh.