Russian police arrest man holding up blank sheet of paper

[Uncle Joe]

Mar 14, 2022 #GlobalNews

Police arrested a man for holding up a blank piece of white paper on Sunday in Novosibirsk, Russia.

The police officers asked the protester to produce his documents, and after checking them said that “all public activities on the territory of Novosibirsk region, including single-person pickets, in other words what, as I understand you are doing right now, are prohibited.”

As the protester kept holding up the piece of white paper two police officers dragged him away.

Police detained more than 4,300 people on Sunday at Russia-wide protests against President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to an independent protest monitoring group.

[GiqueCee]

1. Stay tuned, America...

... this shit is coming to YOUR town soon, and leopards are lining up for lunch.

[SorellaLaBefana]

2. UK Lawyer threatened with arrest in 2022 for holding up a BLANK placard at anti-monarchy protest...

UK compared to Russia after barrister threatened with arrest over blank piece of paper

A UK barrister being threatened with arrest over a blank sheet of paper has led to comparison of Russia’s crackdown on dissent.

Barrister Paul Powlesland filmed his interaction with an officer who claimed that the sign “may offend” people if he wrote “not my King” on it.

Mr Powlesland said he was threatened with arrest, writing on Twitter: “Just went to Parliament Square and held up a blank piece of paper.

“Officer came and asked for my details. He confirmed that if I wrote ‘Not My King’ on it, he would arrest me under the Public Order Act because someone might be offended.”...

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/anti-monarchy-protest-russia-police-b2166183.html

The referenced law was a new one passed by whichever Russian funded Tory Tool was PM at the time. There've been so many, cannot recall which PM this was.

The above article, also referenced a similar incident in Mother Russian in the early days of the renewed (do recall that Putin annexed Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014) Russian assault on Ukraine (the link on The Independent no longer works, but for now, there are other sources)

Russia Arrests Multiple People for Holding Up Blank Signs

Anti-war protesters in Russia are being detained by police for holding up blank posters as part of demonstrations protesting against President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

As mass demonstrations against Russia's invasion of Ukraine continue to intensify, a woman in in Nizhny Novgorod, in central Russia, was arrested on Sunday for protesting with a blank sign.

A video of the incident shared on social media, which has gone viral, shows the moment two police officers approach the woman and escort her away from a crowd in Russia's sixth-largest city. The woman appeared to be the only person holding up a sign...

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-protests-police-arrest-activists-holding-blank-signs-paper-1687603