General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Can we please put the discussion, whether the US is a police-state, to rest? [View all]sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)to Russia which has made progress, if for no other reason than to be able to participate in Western Capitalism. Not saying their motives are pure.
Watch footage of the US response to Occupy Wall St, see the thousands of arrests, the brutal treatment of unarmed citizens both on the streets and after being jailed.
At the same time this was happening in the US, there were massive protests in Russia against Putin that went on for days. Some of the Russian Protesters who were arrested managed to film themselves in police vans, laughing, joking, unshackled and obviously not fearful at all. By contrast OWS protesters, including JOURNALISTS and even a few elected officials were roughed up while in custody and reports of cruel treatment, of women who were not allowed to go to the bathroom eg, not provided with medical treatment even though their injuries in some cases were life threatening.
Putin protesters seemed a whole lot safer than OWS protesters and many around the world were struck by the contrast.
Putin is nothing if not smart and it's likely he was lenient on the protesters to demonstrate the contrast, who knows, but the UN Rappateur on Human Rights did not feel compelled to intervene during the Putin protests while attempting to do so here as the brutality on a daily basis against OWS, including elderly women, disabled protesters etc was alarming and no one in this government lifted a finger to stop it.