I would argue that this has been an effective avenue for messaging/protest. You’re responding to it on this very board - that means you’re thinking about it.
Another angle: would such free protest be allowed if the developers of Notepad++ were based in China or Russia? I seriously doubt it.
He who politicizes everything politicizes nothing.
- US arguing for independence of any of the States for whatever reasons?
- Spain for Catalonia?
- France for Basque?
and many more just in Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_separatist_move...
I think about a lot of things I do absolutely nothing about (or with).
Thinking about whatever messaging is here is like saying "thoughts and prayers". It means shit all nothing. The messaging was a waste of my time and your time. It was an ad for a product you'll never purchase.
> Yeah, Notepad++ is known for political messaging in their updates. Taiwan, Ukraine, etc.
If you’re calling Ukraine in particular a “separatist movement”, I don’t think we can have a productive conversation.
I don’t think I am the only one who has this reaction. People who do this should consider if it’s actually helping their cause. If not it’s just feelgood signaling, or possibly even counterproductive.
So what about protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine seems objectionable to you?
> it is fair to say that Notepad++’s freedom to protest would depend on who and what they are protesting.
What? In the US, UK, and Australia, the right to protest (i.e. of speech) does not depend on what’s being protested in the way you’re implying.
You can’t be against the Ukraine war in Russia because Putin is an evil dictator
- Ukraine for Donbas
Which is so much weaker than all others. There are Ukrainians, Russians, Chinese, Tibetans. But there is no such ethnicity as People of Donbas.
OTOH in a democratic state you're still have the right to demonstrate peacefully for whatever you want, even if it doesn't make much sense. But would you allowed to demonstrate in Ukraine for Donbas independence if they are considered separatists according to the law?
"Say" in the sense of demonstrate peacefully for this? Then I'm impressed. If someone else can confirm this? Is this because of USA being a federal union? Before Ukraine declared independence, there were voices to make Ukraine a federal state, so that people in the West part of Ukraine can live their way of life and people living 1600 km (!) away in the East and Southern parts would be not much affected from that and vice versa. Voices for the unitary state were stronger because of stability of the state. Would be interesting to see some documentary "what if", whether a federal state would be more stable against pulling from the west (Europe, US) and the east (Russia).
I was glad after discovering [1]. In one of the videos the interviewer explains, why he was not arrested. The channel is for English-speaking auditory outside of Russia. It was enough to "close eyes" for some openly expressed critiques. Though it was painfully to listen to some people who were not against the war.
You are falling for Russian propaganda about evil western-Ukrainian nazis attempting to enslave peaceful-Russian-speaking-peoples-of-Donbass-or-whatever who were just minding their own business ("way of life"). As a Russian-speaking Ukrainian neither do I want Putin to protect me (apparently by looting my apartment and raping my girlfriend or in whichever way he is trying to do it these days), nor do absolute majority of population of, say, Kharkiv, Odesa or Kherson.
> Voices for the unitary state were stronger because of stability of the state. Would be interesting to see some documentary "what if", whether a federal state would be more stable against pulling from the west (Europe, US) and the east (Russia).
As a Ukrainian I find that idea quite laughable. It is not really possible for a part of federal union (say a state of USA or a Swiss canton) to join NATO and for other part to "decide" to become a Russian-occupied quasi-state like Belarus. Same goes for a part of it joining EU while some other part decides it wants to be part of EAEU Customs Union. State's foreign affairs are still decided by some central government.
Also, you can research how great "deciding on their own way of life" works in Russian Federation. You could start with first and second Chechen Wars.
Safe for regular person, but socially risky: "We should surrender and pay reparations" "This war is totally Putin'a fault" "Putin is corrupt dictator" "Zelensky is a good guy"
Could in theory lead to a fine and/or losing job, but mostly safe: "I support Navalny", donation to ACF or some kind of western-affiliated NGO.
Could lead to a fine and/or prison time, when it done in social media or on the square: "Slava Ukraine", Butcha fakes, Let's willingly donate to Ukraine war effort, etc