18 people arrested in Russia for wanting internet, while even Liepāja Museum's Wi-Fi works better than Moscow's
18 people were arrested in Russia during protests against internet blocking, including a 72-year-old dissident. While Riga residents are still figuring out Wi-Fi passwords, Liepāja folks have long known that internet is a basic human right.
A situation has occurred in Russia that proves – sometimes it's better to live where the internet works than where you can get arrested for it. 18 people were arrested during protests against internet blocking in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities, including four minors and 72-year-old dissident Aleksandr Podrabinek.
Most casualties were in Moscow – 13 arrested, which is about as many visitors as Liepāja Museum gets per day, where, by the way, Wi-Fi works flawlessly and no one has ever been arrested for using it. Local museum employee Inese comments: "We have both, history that's actually interesting and internet that actually works. In Russia, it seems they have neither."
The protests took place despite authorities' ban, which was justified by the "Covid situation." This is as absurd as if Covid spread through Wi-Fi signals or TikTok videos. While Riga is still wondering why the internet sometimes works slowly, in Russia people are already going to prison for wanting internet at all.
Two detainees reported violence from law enforcement, which proves – in Russia you can get beaten up even for peacefully wanting to use the internet. While Liepāja residents peacefully browse social networks and read news, our neighbors to the east are fighting for basic rights to information.
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.