Russian President Putin, feels insulted by a female pop group protesting in a cathedral, the members are sentenced to 2 years in jail.
To us in the West, a hugely excessive punishment for a relatively harmless protest. It is unlikely that the Pussy Riot members would even have been fined for a similar incident in the West. Think back to the chaos the occupy movement caused last year, a parallel was the mob camped out in the grounds of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Unlike the Pussy Riot band who do not appear to have damaged church property, the St. Paul’s occupiers did damage property and used the surrounding gardens as a toilet.
That was just one incident, there were hundreds of others where the occupiers were allowed to disrupt the lives of law-abiding people, damage property, trespass, openly break the drug laws, molest women and more. All with little or no action from the authorities for weeks or months. Often protected by politicians, tripping over themselves to make excuses for people involved in criminal behaviour.
The soft handling of riots in Vancouver last year, London and other cities in the UK and London Ontario this year where cars and buildings were burned, windows smashed, shops looted and people’s housing destroyed are further examples of the soft approach by the authorities in the West to rioters and those bent on creating disorder.
Fast forward to last weeks shooting in South Africa of 34 miners by the police. My post on August 20 about the hypocrisy of the lack of outrage over this incident compared to similar incidents in the old South Africa. Despite the subdued coverage by the Western media, the tone of most reports suggests criticism of the police, not the rioters who started the violence by murdering union officials and miners, ignoring commands to disperse and finally opening fire on the police. It is almost certain that if the police had not taken decisive action, the violence would have escalated, the death toll would have been considerably higher, the victims would have included more police and innocent bystanders.
This incident also demonstrates once again that the softly, softly approach promoted by the pacifists in the West, in both private and public office, does not work against violent mobs bent on murder and destruction. It also explains why the authorities in the old South Africa had to employ similar measures to stop similar violence.
Three different approaches to unlawful behaviour and violence.
I am not for a moment suggesting that the heavy penalties imposed on the Russian Pussy Riot band were fair or appropriate. I am not saying the loss of 44 lives in South Africa is something to be treated lightly.
What I am saying is that while the Russian authorities may be going too far towards the harsh treatment of dissenters that was common in the Soviet era, the West has gone soft. In an attempt to placate strident minorities and support “Human Rights” our governments have forgotten the vast, silent, law-abiding majority.
We are being overtaken on the economic front by the emerging power houses of the East, China and India. We could well be faced with serious internal conflict if our economies contract further. Will our governments find the backbone to take strong action if it is needed? Or will they continue to ignore unlawful behaviour and allow anarchy to prevail?
Compassion is good but weakness does not help anybody, unfortunately many politicians do not know the difference.
Wishing you success and a stable future.
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