A Russian woman wanted to call the police when she saw a statue of the character “Dobby” from Harry Potter at a café

An elderly woman in Saratov, Russia, complained about a plaster head depicting Dobby, the house-elf from the “Harry Potter” series, after seeing it in the window of a local café. The incident took place on October 7, the very day Vladimir Putin was celebrating his birthday.

The woman claimed that the figurine resembles the Russian president and asked a café employee to remove it. She stated that it was unacceptable to make fun of Putin, whom she said was “working” and “fighting,” and threatened to call the police.

“This little face looks very much like Putin. And today is his birthday! You shouldn’t laugh at a person at all. Every person must be treated with respect,” the woman said

The employee replied that if she saw the Russian leader in the character from “Harry Potter,” then she was the one insulting him. However, the woman maintained her accusations and asked for the complaint to be forwarded to management.

According to the employees, Dobby’s head had been used as a tip jar for more than a year and was part of the café’s décor. After the incident, the figurine was temporarily removed. The comparison between Putin and Dobby has circulated in Russia for several years, and in 2003 a group of Russian lawyers intended to sue the film’s creators because of the alleged resemblance.