(2007-04-14) — World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and other Russians protesting what they say is the increasingly repressive rule of President Vladimir Putin were taken into “protective custody” by police yesterday as Putin opponents attempted to gather for a rally in Moscow’s Pushkin Square.
A Kremlin spokesman expressed relief that hasty action by police “prevented Mr. Kasparov from being injured or perhaps brutally murdered by opponents of free speech.”
“As a democratically-elected leader, President Putin welcomes critics of his administration,” the unnamed Kremlin spokesman said. “In fact, the president encourages free speech, showing his support in this case by sending 9,000 armed police officers to help the anti-government protestors find their way safely out of Pushkin Square before something awful could happen.”
The spokesman noted that Russia has “come a long way” since the old Soviet Union days, when police arrested government opponents because the Kremlin feared a popular uprising against the totalitarian regime.
“There is no threat of popular uprising today,” he said, “because President Putin is so merciful, that he protects even his enemies.”
11 responses so far ↓
1 Scott Ott // Apr 14, 2007 at 5:42 am
Anti-Putin Protestors Taken into Protective Custody…
by Scott Ott(2007-04-14) — World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and other Russians protesting what they say is the increasingly repressive rule of President Vladimir Putin were taken into “protective custody” by police yesterday as Putin opponents…
2 camojack // Apr 14, 2007 at 5:43 am
Nothing like freedom of expression.
And I mean that is nothing like free expression…
3 MargeinMI // Apr 14, 2007 at 6:02 am
Such benevolence! Watta guy.
4 MargeinMI // Apr 14, 2007 at 6:51 am
Since Scott already has a new post up, I’ll hijack this thread early. Ran across this ‘Long Letter to Surly Teenage Boys’ this morning, and just HAVE to share it with y’all.
http://www.breedemandweep.com/?p=104
That one’s for the laughs.
This one’s for the tears: VDH has a dream…..
http://victorhanson.com//articles/hanson041307.html
Is that America we’ve always been so far away? Sigh.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Scrapplin’…
5 gafisher // Apr 14, 2007 at 8:26 am
Kasparov’s just a pawn in this game, but he’d better avoid the tea.
6 gafisher // Apr 14, 2007 at 8:57 am
MargeinMi, I know VDH was only relating a dream (and thank you for that link!) but “… Democrats … as defenders of the liberal tradition of the West …” is much closer to a deadly mass hallucination than a relatively benign dream. Democrat politics and “the liberal tradition of the West” are polar opposites. How we let the Socialists steal that trademark is a long story, but they have no more right to it than a burgler has to your silver.
7 Darthmeister // Apr 14, 2007 at 10:26 am
When did the Democrats go over there to protest? Oh, that’s right, they’re still here in evil AmeriKKKa because they like living under the murderous Hitlerian Bush regime which strips them of all their liberties and threatens their lives every day.
8 Darthmeister // Apr 14, 2007 at 10:30 am
Moonbats who still hanker for the “enlightened” Soviet hegemony: But it was for their own good. They still had freedom of choice. They could have chosen to comply with the governing authorities or chosen to have disobeyed them and put their own lives as further risk from a bullet to the back of the head. BUT THERE IS NO PROOF PUTIN ORDER THE POISONED TEA OR THE BULLET TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD. Now Bu$Hitler on the other hand …
9 antodav // Apr 14, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Where was the satire there, Scott? Alas, no laughs for me today….
10 Darthmeister // Apr 14, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Scott, your satire reminds me of the joke about how the old Soviet mouthpiece, Pravda, reported a two car race between an American and a Russian. When the American won the race it was reported to the Soviet people: Soviet Comes In Second, American Comes In Next To Last.
Reminds me of our own lamestream media when its reporting the “news” out of Iraq.
11 Later Gater // Apr 15, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Good one, Darthmeister. Have to agree with antodav, no laughs on this one.
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