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Courtesy Ivan Krupchik
Toys posed with political messages during a demonstration in the Siberian city of Barnaul earlier this month.
Russian authorities are investigating whether demonstrations in favor of "clean elections" by Lego figures, stuffed dolls and other toys in the Siberian city of Barnaul this month are legal, according to reports.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the toy demonstrations occurred on Jan. 7 and 14 in response to Barnaul police dispersing two protests by people in December over the country's parliamentary election results.
"While the authorities restrict our constitutional rights of freedom of peaceful assembly, the rights of toys have so far been untouched," Andrei Teslenko, a protest organizer, wrote in a post on popular social network Vkontankte, RIA Novosti said.
The so-called "nano meeting" included dolls, stuffed animals, South Park figurines and Lego men, some holding miniature placards reading "I'm for clean elections" and "A thief should sit in jail, not in the Kremlin," according to reports.
However, local police believe the demonstration may be breaking the law and have asked prosecutors to investigate.
"In our opinion, this is still an unsanctioned public event," deputy Barnaul police chief Andrei Mulintsev said at a press conference this week, according to The Guardian newspaper.
Prosecutor Sergei Kirei spoke to RIA Novosti by phone, saying, "People are not stupid ... The figurines did not come there by themselves. They did not write the placards on their own."
He added that they toys were "agitation material."
Teslenko, one of the organizers, said the police investigation to "launch a trial against toys" was "absurd," RIA Novosti said.
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Leave a Comment:
When I got to the third paragraph, I thought they were talking about America. "
The people's protests restricted" Wow, just like here. Maybe we should start buying toys.
You can protest in America. Just don't do it so its a disruption of services or a fire hazard....
so we cant boycott anything? dont limit my rights to protest peacefully...if it disrupts something or someone and im not beating someones head in with a brick...then shut your mouth....
Jonathan how does boycotting anything disrupt services like police and fire? You have nearly unrestricted protest rights in this country. You can't trespass illegally. You have to obey certain laws for safety sake, but beyond that you are pretty much free to do what you want.
You can assemble peacefully. It's in the Bill of Rights.
However, you should buy a permit if you're going to use the public streets for a large assembly, just as if you were renting a hall. That way, everyone knows what's going on, and people can plan their commutes to work. Think of it as a common courtesy. And it'd be really nice if you'd pick up after yourself and left the site nicer than when you found it.
Does that include cleaning up the politicians too?
..
Putin doesn't care because toys can't vote.
Do you honestly still think it matters that the Russian people can vote?
Lego Men with signs? sounds dangerous...off to the Gulag with all Lego Men!
Today it is holding signs, tommorow pushing drugs. This is a joke, right?
I told you russia was a communist country, why don't you believer me?
So much for a democratic russia.
Of course not. Gotta crush the opposition.
If they tried crushing the opposition, I hope they don't do it in bare feet. Stepping on all those Legos would hurt!
.........just can't shake the Commie out of those Devils in power over there. "Root'n Toot'n Putin" will get his way by hook or by crook. It's just the way they do things there. Must be hard to share power with the "People" after so many years having them under your thumb and butchering millions of dissenters. They just don't know anything else..............
So somebody set up a bunch of toys in a sort of mock "protest" scene, and snapped pictures of them, and somehow this is "agitation material?"
Sounds more like a 2st year Fine Art student's semester project.
Voldemor Voldemorovitch Putin is not gonna like it.
That's a Riot!
Is the Russian government that paranoid?
The cops should have put lego figurines of themselves pepperspraying the protestors, and then brought out the gardenhose on them.
Hold up, I'm not done with my little lego jail and courthouse!
This is pretty hilarious!
Makes me want to buy Legos right away...after all, we already have a Mickey Mouse government. But at least here, they can't get away with it (at least usually), whereas there, Putin rules with an iron fist. The guy is a dictator in all but name, and Russia as a democracy has backslid back into tsar mode.
How do you know when the powers that be are threatened? When even the most mundane and absurd gestures are treated like threats to national security.
Looks like the protesters got stuffed.
"Russia police investigate' -what kind of English is that ?
Typical of MSNBC. I don't think the even have editors or proof readers.
The 1% are scared so all Governments are Paranoid......someone pass me a piece of cake
Or the modern version: Bet you 10,000 dollars!
This is a fantastic commercial opportunity.
Think about it: Russian authorities need new facilities to handle these new types of "agitators" right?
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Authoritarian State Lego playset. Build a court full of frowning security officials to convict beaten and oppressed toys, and then transport them to maximum security Lego prison camps to work with little plastic pickaxes and shovels in the mines!
Firing squad sold separately.
Send them to the Gulag!!!
there were smurfs in there also
Ya gotta luv the human creative spirit - I do hope that the Soviet citizens will get their free and honest elections, though history will seem to say otherwise.
Grendel - I got it... And bless revolutionary artists everywhere! What a great idea - if humans can't protest, at least human-like toys can.
It's Russia... No need to read 'em their rights, just slap the cuffs on the whole lot and take 'em to the station for questioning! Bet they don't talk (or ask for a lawyer either!). Ingenious, non-violent and hilarious!