Support The Moscow Times!

Zhirinovsky Calls For Picket at Dutch Embassy

The Liberal Democratic Party leader has called for retaliation for the treatment the Dutch ambassador to the Netherlands has received. LDPR
Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky on Wednesday called for a picket outside the Dutch Embassy in Moscow to protest the treatment of a Russian diplomat by the Netherlands.

"Our Moscow branch is going to set up a picket at the Dutch Embassy and will smash its windows," Zhirinovsky said, Interfax reported Wednesday. "We are not going to live by the principle of turning the other cheek. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," he said.

Zhirinovsky did not say exactly when the picket would be staged.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Monday that Dmitry Borodin, a minister-counselor of the Russian Embassy in The Hague, was detained on Saturday night by Dutch police, while Borodin himself said that the police hit him over the head with a baton in the process.

The incident was a "clear provocation," Zhirinovsky said, adding that Borodin's diplomatic status should have deterred the Dutch authorities.

"Even if he gets drunk, he's a diplomat. Even if he stole something, he's a diplomat. Immunity is a word in every language. You can't approach [a diplomat], or ask questions. Even if he had killed someone, you don't have the right to do anything about it."

Dutch authorities said they would resist calls from Russia to apologize for the incident, as they have not yet completed their investigation.

In a statement published on the party's website on Tuesday, Zhirinovsky said the diplomat's arrest is part of a "conceived plan" scripted in Brussels, Paris, London and Washington. He also said that the plan involved the case around punk group Pussy Riot, calls for a boycott of the Sochi Olympics, and the controversy around the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.

"Insolent, back talking, and no respect for international law — that's what makes the West," Zhirinovsky said.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more