Its law criminalising the promotion of Homosexuality has been highlighted everywhere.
Russia's reputation as a nearly police state is widely repeated. From the time of the Tsar
through the rule of Stalin and the time of the Soviet Union to today. Russia has a less
than sterling reputation when it comes to human rights.
The recent case of the legal action taken against a political rival of Putin. The police
turning a blind eye to anti gay attacks. The return to the use of medical/mental sanctions
to silence people considered an embarrassment.
Rampant bribery and corruption at every level of Russian society.
In the past and today these things happen.
But that is Russia. An Oligarchy, a tyranny. Slipping back to the days of the Soviet police
state. Those Russians do that sort of thing, it’s the commies, the evil reds. Secret Police,
KGB, Totalitarian regime. Yep Russia.
Never happen over here.
We are BRITISH.
Here in freedom loving Britain we don’t have laws that Ban "propaganda of non-traditional
sexual relations to minors".
Well apart from “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with
the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained
school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”
But that was in the past, that was those evil Tories in 1988.
We don’t have rules or regulations like that. Well apart from those 44 schools (So Far) that
have been found to be either mirroring the section 28 rules or have rules that seem to mirror
it.
This is Britain, those things only happen in Russia.
Here in freedom loving Britain we don’t have the secret police going into businesses and
media offices to smash up computers and destroy evidence that embarrasses the government.
Tyrannical nations like Russia have a long history of keeping the press on a tight leash. Control
of knowledge is always the goal of a police state. Manage what people can learn, feed them
propaganda, and destroy the truth. Dear leader/President for Life/Generalissimo knows best.
Intellectuals think for themselves, that is bad. Books can be used to learn the truth, that is bad.
Underground press and newspapers print the truth and criticise the leadership, that is bad.
Radio and TV can tell the truth, show real events, that is bad.
So they must be controlled by the secret police, they must be imprisoned, punished, killed. What
happens to them must intimidate others so they will keep silent and not tell the truth.
In our modern world with access to international broadcasts, satellite communications and the
Internet a police state cannot block the information. The truth will out. If one media organisation
in one country is silenced there are plenty of others to tell the same story.
All that is left is the intimidation. Make people fear to tell the truth or repeat the truth or listen to
the truth. You cannot stop people hearing about the truth but you can make them so fearful that
they are not willing to listen to the truth.
We don’t have Incidents like that here, we have a free press. Our security services don’t enter the
offices of a media company and smash up the computers. Well apart from the Guardian.
This is Britain, those things only happen in Russia.
Many who are willing to speak out against Tyranny are prepared to sacrifice careers, wealth,
even their lives. They feel that the battle is worth the risk.
Many Russian dissidents gave their lives, many spent their remaining years in a mental
hospital or gulag or in front of a firing squad for having spoken against Uncle Stalin or a
member of the Politburo. Many disappeared without trace.
One and all they felt passionately about what they did and so they spoke out. They knew
evil, they saw it in their own leadership and so they spoke out. They wanted to make things
better for everyone, to live without the iron shod boot of the police state on their throats, and
so they spoke out.
But for many of them, while they were willing to give almost everything for the cause there was
something that they were not prepared to give up.
A man willing to give his life for the cause can still feel the cold hand of fear round his heart when
he learns that the secret police had been round to visit his family. That his house had been searched,
that his wife had been charged with a crime that would put her in a deep dark hole for years before
the charges were “Reconsidered”.That his children had been taken to a police station and questioned
about the activities of their father “The Traitor”.
The message was all too clear. We can get to your loved ones, are you prepared to sacrifice them for
your cause.
The security apparatus of the police state maintaining rule through terror. Fear us, toe the line, do
as you are told, believe the propaganda, and deny the truth. OR ELSE.
We don’t have Incidents like that here. Out police don’t arrest and interrogate people because they are
the loved ones of those who are spreading information that the government doesn’t like.
This is Britain, those things only happen in Russia.
Don’t they?