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Russia: Activists held over 'invisible posters' Italy: PM on TV for nearly five hours a day
(about 14 hours later)
Six activists have been detained near the Kremlin in Moscow for holding "invisible posters" and calling for the release of other protesters detained earlier, it appears. Italy's new prime minister apparently has made so many media appearances in recent weeks that the Italian press are talking about Matteo Renzi's "occupy TV" strategy.
The group was detained on Sunday in Manezhnaya Square and were holding out their hands as if they were carrying invisible signs, the Grani.ru news website reports. Between 17 and 31 March, Renzi was on Italian TV screens for an average of nearly five hours a day, La Stampa newspaper reports. Renzi's total appearances across TV channels was close to 70 hours, it adds.
"Our invisible posters read: Free the 6 May prisoners!" one protester says in a video. "Because a man was detained earlier holding a poster you could see, we are now holding invisible posters." But the woman is taken away by police and she can be heard saying "You are breaking the law!" as she is dragged away. The media blitz reportedly includes some 51 hours of news bulletin time given over either to Renzi's speeches (22 hours), or news reports about him and his work as prime minister (29 hours). In addition, Renzi spent more than 17 hours as a guest on Italian political talkshows, especially in the evenings.
The group was protesting against the earlier jailing of anti-Putin demonstrators - part of what is now called the Bolotnaya Square case - in which a group of activists were jailed for protesting against the inauguration of Vladimir Putin for a third presidential term. A media expert tells the paper that it's no surprise that Renzi is the "unique propagandist" of his government, given that he's promised the country a dynamic and swift programme of reform very much based on his youthful, can-do political image.
On 6 May 2012, as many as 650 "Bolotnaya" demonstrators were detained and 28 sentenced. Protests are held in their name on the sixth day of every month.
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