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Opinion


WHY THE POLITICIANS APPLAUDING RUSSIAN PROTESTS ARE GUILTY OF HYPOCRISY

By Holly-Anna Petersen7 March 20222 min read

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 * Save article

The world might be praising the 6,500 brave Russians who were arrested for
protesting against the invasion of Ukraine, but Holly-Anna Petersen says our own
government is still trying to criminalise peaceful protest

A police officer approaches a woman during a protest outside the Gostiny Dvor
business centre.

Source: Reuters

Proverbs 31:8 calls us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.”

As Christians, we can often take a light-touch approach to speaking up for
others – signing petitions, or maybe a strongly worded social media post, safe
from within the comfort of our living room. It seems a long way from the gritty
Christ who turned over the tables in the temple when the poor were being
exploited there; the Christ whose love took him so far out of his comfort zone
that “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44).

> Our own government is still pushing to pass authoritarian legislation in the
> UK 

When we have turned on our TV screens over the last few weeks, we have been
shown the bravery that is often required to truly stand up for others.
Demonstrations have taken place in more than 100 Russian cities since Putin sent
his army to attack Ukraine.

MPs here have been swift to applaud the protestors and condemn the Russian state
for the fact that at least 6,500 protesters have been arrested since the war
began. Julian Sturdy, the Conservative MP for York Outer said: “We must also
commend the brave Russian men and women who took to the streets of Moscow and St
Petersburg to protest the war and show solidarity with their Slavic neighbours
in Ukraine.”


TEN YEARS FOR SINGING

However, while condemning the heavy-handling of Russian protesters, Conservative
MPs - including Julian Sturdy himself - recently voted to reinstate clauses in
the government’s Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill (the PCSC Bill) that
would allow courts to imprison “noisy” protesters for up to ten years. While
being outspoken about the detrimental impacts of authoritarian regimes, our own
government is still pushing to pass authoritarian legislation in the UK which
would make the maximum prison sentence for peacefully protesting against them at
least double the maximum sentence for a conviction of actual bodily harm.

This hypocrisy has been rightly highlighted by organisers of UK protests for
Ukraine. One, Zoryana, told Open Democracy that passing the PCSC Bill in its
current form would make protesting against the war in Russia a criminal act in
the UK. “The government is not only removing the freedoms of British people, but
also of Ukrainians in the UK,” she said. “Just how different from Russia is the
UK if it passes this law? If we are quiet and don’t really bother anyone, then
who will be paying attention to us?”


DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO PROTEST

Not all MPs were in favour of the restrictions. Labour MP Sarah Roberts said:
“Over the past five days, thousands of people have been arrested and detained at
anti-war protests across Russia. We would all defend their right to protest and
yet here we are, in the mother of all democracies, debating an amendment to a
Bill that would criminalise singing at a peaceful protest in this country.”

> The maximum sentence for peacefully protesting could be double that for actual
> bodily harm

As Christians, standing up for justice is in our spiritual DNA. It is right that
we are proud of those brave Russians who are standing up to the violence and
suffering that Putin is causing in Ukraine. However, as the PCSC Bill gets one
step closer to passing, we are sleep-walking into a situation where people will
be prevented from protesting against Putin, or any unjust law, in our own
country.


A PROUD HERITAGE

From Martin Luther King to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Christians have a proud
heritage of protesting, which has helped to change the world for the better. Yet
our church leaders have been largely silent on this issue. Do we assume that
they are OK with Christianity becoming a cosy faith, where the gritty Jesus is
replaced with petition-clicks and social media shares?

The freedom to protest is a vital part of any healthy democracy, which is why
Putin suppresses it in Russia. Our government should not be allowed to do the
same here.

Holly-Anna PetersenHolly-Anna Petersen is a founding member of Christian Climate
Action, a non-violent direct action group which often takes action alongside
Extinction Rebellion.
Facebook



TOPICS

 * civil disobedience
 * PCSC bill
 * Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill
 * Protests
 * Social Justice

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