Gallows Humor? Business Owners In Siberia Erect Macabre Protest Against Coronavirus Restrictions

IRKUTSK, Russia — Owners of small- and medium-sized businesses in the Siberian city of Irkutsk have placed a gallows with a homemade mannequin hanging from a noose in front of the regional administration building to protest restrictive measures adopted to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Protesters pinned signs on the macabre display that voiced their displeasure at the December 21 action, while a poster underneath the installation said: “No business, no taxes, no budget.”

The organizers of the action also held a series of single-person pickets that are allowed without preliminary permission from the city administration.

According to the protesters, many small- and medium-sized businesses in the region in southeastern Siberia have suffered enormous losses and in some cases have shut down completely amid the ongoing restrictions to curb the coronavirus across the country.

As of December 21, the number of registered coronavirus cases in Russia was 2,877,727, including 51,351 deaths.