Woman arrested for holding a blank sign is a nightmarish glimpse into Putin’s Russia

If you ever wanted a clearer visualisation of what is going on in Russia right now then it is surely this, a video of a Russian woman who was arrested for holding a blank sign.

Police in Nizhny Novgorod arrested a demonstrator today for protesting with a blank sign. Welcome to Russia in 2022. pic.twitter.com/YprwDqex8V

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 12, 2022

The incident was filmed in Russia’s sixth largest city and it’s simply the stuff of nightmares.

Meanwhile, about 150 miles away, in Ivanovo, police arrested this man for demonstrating with a sign that was comprised entirely of asterisks (but is commonly known to mean “fuck war”). pic.twitter.com/RNjNbP2x5e

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 12, 2022

As others have pointed out, this isn’t the first “blank sign” arrest. Near the outset of the war, this woman in Rostov got eight days in jail for picketing with one: https://t.co/yyH8Vo8Lbw

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 13, 2022

And just a few of the things people were saying about it.

There’s a joke that’s been revived in a bunch of countries along these lines.

Man stands on a street in Hamburg, 1918, with a sign that says “the king is an idiot”. Police arrest him. He says he meant the British king. “You can’t fool us,” they reply, “we know who the idiot is” https://t.co/VqqAWQqLIm

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) March 13, 2022

What an incredible symbol. This is it. Russia has gone the full Orwell.

A Russian woman is arrested for protesting….against nothing. She was holding a completely blank sign. https://t.co/B1jMUJREhd

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) March 13, 2022

Silent and showing a blank poster. Enough to be arrested in Putin’s Russia. https://t.co/UBsqSYflRM

— Anonymous (@LatestAnonPress) March 13, 2022

the blank sign protest is absolute genius – possibly too post-modernist for Putin and his goons; but it should go global nonetheless https://t.co/Vyhu9nvOxc

— Simon Schama (@simon_schama) March 14, 2022

This woman may have single-handedly given Russia’s antiwar movement the simplest, most unassailable protest symbol imaginable. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing more blank signs. https://t.co/K9CSsrNwPX

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 12, 2022

There was a joke in the Communist Block, seen as a bit absurd, about a guy who was arrested handing out leaflets on Moscow’s Red Square. But the leaflets were all blank. Asked by the police why did he hand out empty leaflets he said “Why bother to write? People know anyway.” https://t.co/sEgweWfuh6

— Mateusz Fafinski (@Calthalas) March 13, 2022