Protesters chant anti-Putin slogans at Moscow rally against retirement age plan

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands protested in central Moscow on Sunday against a proposed increase to the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by the bill.

The rally organized by the opposition Libertarian Party chanted “Putin is a thief” and “away with the tsar,” slogans common at anti-Putin and anti-government protests.

The retirement age proposal is politically sensitive for Putin, who was re-elected in March, because it has prompted a series of protests across Russia since it was announced on June 14, the day Russia played the first match of its soccer World Cup.

Around 90 percent of the population oppose the bill, according to a recent opinion poll, and a petition against it has attracted 3 million signatures online.



Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-protests/protesters-chant-anti-putin-slogans-at-moscow-rally-against-retirement-age-plan-idUSKBN1KJ0HJ

[Raster]

1. Poor Russians... they don't realize SOMEONE has to come up with the $200 BILLION that Putin*...

...has skimmed off the top of the Russian economy. Financial investigators that have been following Putin, his Oligarchs and their finances closely all believe Putin* is now the world's richest man... not publicly, of course. Putin* ratholes his wealth around the world and uses people like Donald tRump* to launder the dirty money through sketchy, over-priced real estate deals and other semi-shady financial vehicles. Probably the largest and most public financial institution enthralled with the "new Tsar" is Douche Bank*, which was, coincidentally the Nazis favorite financial institution, and in fact, helped finance Auschwitz, you know, one of the Nazis death camps.

[thucythucy]

3. The Deutsche Bank even gets a call out in Casablanca.

[BigmanPigman]

6. Rachel Maddow did a show all about Putin over a year ago.

She said that he IS the richest person on Earth. I forget what his net worth was but he has Russia's $$$ as well as his uber rich oligarchs. The moron doesn't hold a candle to him.

[Raster]

7. And, I believe, this is the sway Putin* holds over tRump*...

... there may be a "pee tape," but probably something far worse, something "Lolita-ish," but I don't think even that causes the out-and-out subservience to Putin* tRump* displays. No, I think Putin* and his ill-gotten billions have been keeping the foul ship tRump* afloat for years and years. All tRump*s blather, bluster and bullshit aside, he is a lousy business person. LOUSY. He has failed at far more business ventures then he has succeeded at. I believe Putin* guarantees his Douche Bank* loans and makes sure tRump* gets enough Russia skim to keep up his appearances. Yeah, I think tRump*s Achilles Heel is Putin*s bankroll.

[BigmanPigman]

8. Even his moron kid said that Russia is their own personal bank

for loans. He ran a family business, and didn't run it well either. All he did was create a personality/brand and licensed his name. It was a small, family operation and he was the boss. He acts like he owns the country and is dictator like he did with his businesses. His businesses failed and this country will fail/fall under him. I know Mueller has all the documentation he needs to haul him and his family into jail for eternity.

[DetlefK]

2. And somehow neither RT nor Sputnik News even mention that protest.

A big protest?
Against an unpopular bill?
A bill that Putin said he wouldn't back but now he backs it anyway but doesn't want to?

Or maybe RT and Sputnik News don't report on this protest because then they would have to admit that Russia is not the best country ever.

[Igel]

9. Of course.

When the government's in charge of what's the truth, then things that are inconvenient just vanish.

I rather like the sign that says "tsar' plokhoi, boyare tozhe". The tsar is bad, and the boyars, too. Sadly, it's bad messaging--the last tsar' is moderately popular, and he didn't really have boyars by then. You eventually get to Groznyi tsar', Ivan the Terrible, but it's a stretch unless you're steeped in pre-modern Russian history.

Even this headline hides an inconvenient truth, though: It's not the retirement age that's the problem, you can retire whenever you want. It's not like it's enforced retirement, so when you turn a certain age, no matter what your job, bam--you're retired. (Although that's likely for state agencies).

It's "you can't get government money paid to you until you're a certain age." In the US, we'd translate that as "raising the minimum age for receiving Social Security." Which is substantially different from the retirement age.

[paleotn]

4. And that matters how?

In the Russian kleptocratic, authoritarian state, the latest if you've been keeping track of them as they go by, does the will of 90% of Russians really matter? Nyet.

[Takket]

5. gee and everything i see on tv tells me they support putin nearly 100%...

[maxrandb]

10. We need some folks to do this at the next Donnie Short Fingers rally

and Retrumplican Town Halls this summer