Posted on 02/17/2026 9:15:33 AM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com
Moscow charges Jacques Tilly with “defaming Russian state organs” and threatens him with up to 10 years in prison, but Düsseldorf’s legendary satirist says he won’t be intimidated and is rolling out a new Putin wagon for Monday’s Rose Monday parade.
Russia's prosecution of a German satirist fits a pattern of weaponizing its judiciary against foreign critics of Moscow's war in Ukraine, extending the Kremlin's domestic crackdown on free speech beyond its own borders.
The 62-year-old sculptor, who faces Moscow's charges of "defaming Russian state bodies" and up to ten years in prison, sent all three floats through Dusseldorf's streets. One depicted a grim-looking Putin impaling a small carnival jester with a sword, while the tiny figure struck back with a cardboard clapper. The second showed Putin steering a blue AfD drone resembling party leader Alice Weidel — the AfD is Germany's pro-Russian party that came second in the previous parliamentary elections. The third portrayed Putin and Trump greedily devouring Europe together.
"It is a duel with very unequal weapons," Tilly told Tagesschau. On one side stand the Russian state's weapons, "which are quite sharp," and on the other side satire. "It is only made of cardboard, it can't kill," the artist said.
(Excerpt) Read more at euromaidanpress.com ...
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Do not defame Putin's state organ, no matter how defame worthy its size is. Meanwhile in Ukraine, Zelensky's state organ is used as a pianist.
If they could the EU would prosecute Americans for public “racist and/or sexist” comments, just like they do their own citizens.
This story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If this German guy is driving his floats through German cities - and not Russian ones - how could he be breaking any Russian laws?
So either:
A. This arrest part of the story is fiction.
B. Putin is so crazy he’s trying to arrest people in other countries.
I don’t think I’d make a bet either way here.
Aside: The story did mention an “in absentia” component to all this. But I couldn’t access the links to that.
The man has a satirical wit, no doubt, attacking Putin and Trump.
The article doesn’t mention that he turned his wit on the leaders of his own country that suppress free speech and harbor muslim predators.
The man is strangely selective in his targets.
One might suspect he has Leftist leanings or a skewed sense of liberty.
“Meanwhile in Ukraine, Zelensky’s state organ is used as a pianist.”
Fake propaganda.
“This arrest part of the story is fiction.”
Your reference to an arrest in the story is fiction.
In Before the Image of Bubba Feeling up Lady Liberty.
> Your reference to an arrest in the story is fiction. <
You’re right. I phrased that poorly. He was never arrested. Instead (if the story is to be believed) he is being prosecuted in absentia for some crime.
The more in think about it, the more I think the prosecution part of the story is a hoax, a publicity stunt. No matter what you think of Putin, why would he care about some float in some parade in Germany?
Who knows what the true story is.
For some reason, I’m reminded of Lincoln’s quote comparing the US and Russia on the extent to which they implemented authoritarian policies. “When it comes to this [implementing the policies], I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.” His point was that the US did the same thing as Russia but in other ways. In this case, Putin wants to prosecute a guy for creating a float that lampoons Putin. Is Putin’s policy authoritarian and wrong? Of course. But in the US, we don’t have official laws to prosecute those who lampoon the president but I remember the absolute s__tstorm that came down on anyone who the liberal mob thought was making fun of Obama. Remember the national media attacks that resulted in death threats to the rodeo clown who wore an Obama mask? Or the attacks on the guy who put up the anti-Obama flag? Maybe its better to have despotism pure without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
Of course. As to attacking them here is another float, portraying the defenseless EU as a victim of both:
Satire. It can catch everyone as time goes by.
Reading the German press, it is clearer perhaps than this Euromaidan article. A trial is being conducted "in absentia" on whatever grounds they are relying. It's a meaningless exercise, in the end.
He actually had a float attacking chancellor Merz, another one about the mullahs in Iran.
Yeah, that’s crazy. Civilized nations don’t try to prosecute foreigners for made up crimes. That would be like France arresting Nikolai Durov, or the UK threatening to arrest Elon Musk, or America pushing for charges against Julian Assange. Or Ukraine running a hit list of westerners who oppose them.
Crazy talk!
Sorry about the size of the pix.
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