The Russian Embassy
in London has sent a written complaint to the British Foreign
Office after a mountain of fake limbs were dumped outside its
embassy on Thursday.
Protesters attached
hundreds of mannequin arms to the consulate's gates on Thursday
afternoon and some people taking part in the stunt handcuffed
themselves to the gates.
The loud protest was
meant to draw attention to Russia's involvement in Syria, where it
has been accused of targeting moderate rebels fighting the government
of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In an online
statement the Russian Embassy in the British capital expressed “deep
concern [over] the unwillingness of the British government to ensure
normal operation and security of the Russian diplomatic mission in
London.”
It complained that
police officers had looked on without taking any action and its phone
lines had been swamped with “nuisance callers.”
“One is under the impression that this disruptive 'protest
action' has been thoroughly planned, which is not surprising in the
context of the recent official statement [by British Foreign
Secretary] Boris Johnson,” the note said. It also added it saw the
stunt in light of “ an ongoing anti-Russian campaign in the media
inspired by some statements of the British officials.”
Johnson last month said last month he would “like to see” a protest at the Russian Embassy following outrage over continued air raids on the rebel-held city of Aleppo.
“There is no commensurate horror among protest groups,” Johnson said during a speech in the House of Commons, accusing Russia of intentionally targeting hospitals. “I would like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy.”
