The Political Insider

During his press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin turned the tables, citing ‘Black Lives Matter’ when a reporter asked the Russian president about human rights abuses in his country.

Putin had just left a summit with President Joe Biden when he made his remarks at the press conference. That meeting laster over two hours, where the two world leaders sat face-to-face.

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Putin Turns Tables On Reporter

At the press conference that followed each president appeared separately, Putin took questions from the American media, followed by Biden.

When a reporter asked Putin about repressing his political opponents, the Russian leader turned the question by bringing up Black Lives Matter and the problem of police brutality in the United States.

“America quite recently had to deal with terrible events after the murder of — or the killing of — the African American and Black Lives Matter ensued,” Putin responded.

Putin added, “I don’t want to make any judgment about that, but what we saw, mass violations of the law, and so on and so forth, we sympathized with the Americans, but we do not wish this kind of thing should happen on our territory, and we will do our utmost to prevent it.”

The Russian President also brought up the death of Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran and unarmed protester who was shot to death by Capitol Police on January 6. 

AL.com reports: 

“We don’t have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody,” Putin said.

“Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?” Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a window that led to the House floor.

We still do not know who shot and killed Babbitt. Her family is suing D.C. to get the records and discover who killed her.

 

Putin: ‘We Sympathized With The Americans’

This is not the first time another country has brought up the Black Lives Matter movement when pressed about human rights abuses of their own.

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When Chinese diplomats met with Secretary of State Tony Blinken in March, they rebuked the American official for trying to bring up Chinese human rights abuses and brought up Black Lives Matter specifically.

On Wednesday, President Biden was asked by reporter what he thought of Putin’s comments.

Biden said the comparison was “ridiculous.”