Russian Man Given 3-Years For Criticizing Boy's Pro-War Hat

As during the Nazi era in Germany with their swastika, the militarist symbol must be protected at all costs. Alexander Neustroev had originally been given a fine for "hooliganism" (of ₽7000, or about $80) but after a public outcry and a new trial, he was sentenced to prison for three years. In the upgraded charges, he was then found guilty of “hooliganism committed with the threat of violence, motivated by hatred against a social group.” For swearing at a boy in a hat.

Although the Moscow Times lists the boy as 11 it seems more likely he was 15 as other reports mention.

Source: Moscow Times

A court in Russia’s Urals region has sentenced a man to three years in prison for insulting a child who wore a pro-war hat, regional prosecutors announced Monday.

The Oktyabrsky District Court in Yekaterinburg found Alexander Neustroev guilty of “hooliganism committed with the threat of violence, motivated by hatred against a social group,” according to the Sverdlovsk region Prosecutor’s Office.

Neustroev was arrested in April 2023 after he told an 11-year-old boy, who was wearing a hat with the militarist Z symbol, to “shove the hat up your a**, moron.” Law enforcement authorities released a video of him apologizing following the arrest.

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