As I had moved to Canada in 2010, I remember a lot of talk about police repression of the protests involving Toronto G20 and the Vancouver Olympics. Here is one example, but you can search for many more on the internet.
For instance, this has some description of how the interactions between police and protesters works in the US. I would like to point out specifically this line:
"An experienced activist, she knew to go limp when police seized her, and how to do nothing that could possibly be described as resisting arrest."
Here is an article on the trend in the US.
For the Moscow elections:
[It is interesting that a news source funded by the Russian government covers this in a way that allows people to have their own opinion of what is happening.]
Talking with activists in Canada, I know:
- "resisting arrest" is a crime in the west, and also used against protesters
- Getting permission from the city to protest is something people think about, as it sanitizes the protests as well as implies that people need permission to protest. Not everyone is willing to risk arrest, or even is willing to break the law.
[Actually, Jon Stewart used to do these types of comparisons, I believe once talking about protests in Saudi Arabia while showing scenes from police repression of the Occupy movement in the US.]
My point:
The reality is of the situation is that in a sense Putin was correct -- what was occurring was not somehow different from what occurs in the West. I would like to make a further point in emphasizing that this does not necessarily mean that there was nothing wrong with the actions of the city, the police, or the protesters, only that this occurs in the West, and can't be used to claim moral superiority.
A side note:
Russia does have elections, including provincial elections, which are separate from federal elections. Supposedly not everyone in the US knows that. Some people may want to ask how democratic are they really, especially those which have heard of the situation of Soviet elections, but to that I would respond with questioning how democratic elections are in the US.
The Soviet Union also had elections. Those could genuinely be criticized for just being a show when compared to American elections, but in this case, the structure of power and citizen involvement was very different, as is the case in technocratic governments.
Modern Russia has a republican form of government with a federate structure, just like the US and many other countries. Many details are different, as is typical, but this is the case. Like or dislike this republic structure (and yes, many people criticize it), this is the reality.
Links to the Other Writings in this Series
Russia does have elections, including provincial elections, which are separate from federal elections. Supposedly not everyone in the US knows that. Some people may want to ask how democratic are they really, especially those which have heard of the situation of Soviet elections, but to that I would respond with questioning how democratic elections are in the US.
The Soviet Union also had elections. Those could genuinely be criticized for just being a show when compared to American elections, but in this case, the structure of power and citizen involvement was very different, as is the case in technocratic governments.
Modern Russia has a republican form of government with a federate structure, just like the US and many other countries. Many details are different, as is typical, but this is the case. Like or dislike this republic structure (and yes, many people criticize it), this is the reality.
Links to the Other Writings in this Series
- Travel journals, general comments, and CCI trip in particular
- Summary of series, Basic Appeal
- Some direct comparisons: Militarism
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