Doll 'protesters' present small problem for Russian police

January 26, 2012 9:55 AM

Lego figurines, Kinder surprises and other toys played the role of 'demonstrators'. Police in Siberian city ask prosecutors to investigate legality of protest involving display of toy figures holding miniature placards. "Political opposition forces are using new technologies to carry out public events – using toys with placards at mini-protests," Andrei Mulintsev, the city's deputy police chief, said at a press conference this week, according to local media. "In our opinion, this is still an unsanctioned public event."

The Guardian article features a number of links to other quirky Russian protests, plus some background on (d)evolving free speech rules in that country.

posted by KokuRyu (24 comments total)

This reinforces my claim that the general lack of availability of Kinder Surprise eggs in the US constitutes civil oppression.
posted by cmoj at 10:00 AM on January 26, 2012 [14 favorites]

"Passersby admired the display with giggles, but police took it more seriously, examining its details and writing down each placard." really, police?

I like this as a weird avatar-based strategy. It can be inconspicuous, and yet has the physical persistence qualities that have made the Occupy movement compelling, and yet it's far more fragile.
posted by gusandrews at 10:01 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's a piece of political artwork. Managed democracy isn't working very well right now.
posted by jaduncan at 10:01 AM on January 26, 2012

If only Russia had some institutional experience with political artwork and scuplture...
posted by jaduncan at 10:03 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh, and re the gay rights thing: that isn't devolving. Treatment of the Russian LGBT community has always been appallingly rough and bigoted.
posted by jaduncan at 10:07 AM on January 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

Bulgakov would approve.
posted by Artw at 10:09 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

This isn't the first time that toys have been use as a means of protest.
posted by Godwin Interjection at 10:20 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on an entire protest at once — forever.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:37 AM on January 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

...examining its details and writing down each placard.

Russian police not have cameras?
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:38 AM on January 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

Occupy Legoland!
posted by ZenMasterThis at 10:40 AM on January 26, 2012 [4 favorites]

Agh, I will sell my soul for an edit window. "Used" USED.
posted by Godwin Interjection at 10:50 AM on January 26, 2012

Russian police not have cameras?

In Russia, camera photographs you!!

wait... um...
posted by usagizero at 11:11 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Treatment of the Russian LGBT community has always been appallingly rough and bigoted.

Seriously. During most of the Soviet era, not only was homosexuality illegal, but being homosexual in prison or gulag meant that a man was automatically a petukh, a ritually unclean institutionalized sex slave under the Thieves' Code.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 11:18 AM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

This is humorous (like a scene from a Terry Gilliam movie):

The jumpiest police were found this week in Kaliningrad, Russia's Baltic exclave. As two dozen nationalist youth took to the streets for a jog designed to promote a healthy lifestyle, carrying their traditional black, yellow and white flag, police descended upon the rally, having confused it for a gay pride parade.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:46 AM on January 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

It's a doll revolution.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:25 PM on January 26, 2012

First they came for the Legos, and I didn't speak out because I was a Duplo....
posted by LeLiLo at 4:46 PM on January 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

OH yay I saw that article today and was hoping to see or post it on here! Apparently this group has gotten themselves into deep doodoo with the government before (warning: link shows hanging dummies/people) and they have also performed some scandalous thievery (NSFW!)
posted by ghostbikes at 5:21 PM on January 26, 2012

Check out Kvatch on Flikr. He's been using those little green army men to protest war for some time now.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 5:26 PM on January 26, 2012

It sounds like the police are super pissed about this and are taking it Very Seriously.

In this linked article it says the group won a prize supported by the ministry of culture for the penis they painted on a drawbridge that faced the FSB headquarters when the bridge went up. Seems odd that the prize they won was state sponsored yet they were so obviously flipping off the government.
posted by ghostbikes at 5:44 PM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wait!? Cats tossed in McDonalds??? Won't someone think of the children!???
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:52 PM on January 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

the group won a prize supported by the ministry of culture for the penis they painted on a drawbridge that faced the FSB headquarters when the bridge went up

The scale of art protests has always aroused interest but is often regarded by authorities as a dick move.
posted by vicx at 8:03 PM on January 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

This is interesting - if they just leave the toys somewhere in public, does it count as littering?

Also - you can get actual toys in Kinder eggs in Russia still? Here in Canada, whenever I get them they're always stupid puzzles. DAMN YOU KINDER, I NO WANT PUZZLE I WANT LITTLE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE!
posted by antifuse at 12:49 PM on January 31, 2012

In other protest news: Feminist punk band Pussy Riot take revolt to the Kremlin
posted by homunculus at 8:04 PM on February 4, 2012

Upping the Ante: With 100,000 protesters -- young, old, and everything in between -- out in the freezing streets of Moscow, the heat is being turned up on Vladimir Putin's drive for the presidency.
posted by homunculus at 10:36 AM on February 6, 2012