Emilia Clarke, ‘Game of Thrones’ Actress, Unknowingly Part Of Russian Political Anti-Rape Campaign

A Russian politician running for mayor of the Urals city of Yekaterinburg has championed "Game of Thrones" actress, Emilia Clarke to his cause. Yakov Silin, who is the current regional governor, claimed that Clarke, was a woman who enjoys nighttime walks around Yekaterinburg, and feels safe doing so. The Putin loyalist used a photo of Clarke, but instead identified her as " Anya," a local woman, who 24-years-old, and claims to feel comfortable and confident alone in the city at night.

It seems that Silin's team unknowingly used the image of Clarke for their campaign, who in real life looks contrastingly different from her on-screen character of Daenerys Targaryen. The image of Clarke allegedly walking the streets of Yekaterinburg is also accompanied by a testimonial from "Anya."

"I suddenly noticed that for the last couple of years I'm not afraid to walk at night in Yekaterinburg," says the poster underneath the image of Clarke. "I now have confidence that the city is safe, that no-one will attack me or rape me." The campaign poster which was posted on Silin's Facebook profile continues, "It's so cool... There are only few people on the streets, the streets have lights, and the city is fresh and incredibly beautiful. Especially after it has been raining."

Following the Facebook post, Silin's team quickly discovered the wide reach of "Game of Thrones." Fans of HBO's hit fantasy series slammed the Russian politician for the use of Emilia Clarke in his campaign. Swiftly, the politician's team moved to defend their campaign, stating that Clarke's celebrity cameo should serve as an example of the safety young females can except in the city.

Following the embarrassing mix-up, Silin insists that the use of Clarke's image was intentional. Silin's campaign team released this statement, "We selected a famous and beautiful actress on purpose, to make it clear that this is a fantasy. Next time we will write more clearly. Sorry," they said when questioned. Our Internet post which was a fantasy with a photo of Emilia Clarke, famous for the TV series, "Game of Thrones", has caused a strange resonance. We assure you, Daenerys Targaryen, in this case, is just a beautiful woman." And while the campaign organizers confirm that they haven't contacted Clarke to ask her permission, they continued to post the "endorsement" on Facebook. "We don't claim that we have her support, even though we would not be ashamed to show her Yekaterinburg after implementation of the 'Capital' program."

Emilia Clarke has not yet commented on her new role in the Russian mayoral race.

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