Import Lovers Beaten By Police
In the hopes of shoring-up flagging domestic automobile production, the Russian government is about to increase the tax on used foreign-made car prices by 50 percent; new foreign-made car prices are set to jump by 15 percent. Protests erupted in Vladivostok, where some 200k people import, sell and/or service used foreign vehicles (mostly Japanese). The AP reports that some five hundred Russians rallied in the city on Saturday, for the second weekend in a row. Riot police detained hundreds, and kicked the snot out of many more. “Police — some shipped in from Moscow, some 9,300 kilometers (some 5,750 miles) to the west — began violently hauling men and women into waiting vans as people chanted ‘Fascists!’ and ‘Shame! Shame!’ An Associated Press reporter watched as several people who resisted were beaten with truncheons, thrown to the ground and kicked. Several parents were detained as their children watched.” And for their trouble… “An AP reporter saw at least 10 journalists detained by police, who demanded several turn over videotapes and photo memory chips and wrecked a Japanese TV crew’s video camera. Some journalists were beaten and kicked, including an AP photographer.” The AP dryly concludes: “While auto industry workers have applauded the tariff increase, Russian consumers and others involved in the $30.5 billion car import business have not. Many Russians say they have a right to buy what they want on the free market and do not want to pay to support the Russian auto industry.” Sound familiar?
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In Soviet Russia, car drives you!
moawdtsi> Oh man, I now HAVE to re-watch that movie :) grifonik> Slashdot reader? On the article> The parallels are STRANGELY similar, however in AMERICA it is much better to let the "sheep" (normal peeps) have their little chunk of bailout money while giving 20x-50x that to other privileged people under the table. I'm against all bailouts. What happened to business dying or living on it's merits?
I strongly suspect 99.3% of American UAW members believe U.S. cops should behave the same way. After all, we consumers only exist to keep them in business.
@Robstar. Confirmed. I can't help myself. The Soviet phrasing seemed too good to pass up (and had applicable meaning for this article to boot)! I also like Chuck Norris phrases too. Not sure I can think of one that would apply here though?