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Sep 03 2011

Another Reason to Love the First Amendment

Categories:

Free Speech, Liberty

by Ed Brayton

Another absolutely creepy case of government overreach, this time in Russia:

A court in the Kaluga Region of Russia has ruled that a painting of Jesus Christ with the head of Mickey Mouse is offensive and banned it from being exhibited. The courts called the work “extremist,” and ruled that it was “religiously offensive” under Article 282.

Russian news source Ria Novosti reports that, “unless the Kaluga Region court’s ruling is successfully appealed, the painting will be banned from exhibitions, newspapers, magazines or television. The case was heard in the Kaluga Region after a local complained to the authorities.”

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9 comments

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  1. 1
    Occam's Blunt Instrument

    September 3, 2011 at 9:36 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    It is offensive – to Disney. In the US, I’m sure the artist would get a “cease and desist” from Disney’s lawyers for implying that the trademarked mousely one is as fictional as jesus.

  2. 2
    Bronze Dog

    September 3, 2011 at 12:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    The sad thing for the US: There’s no shortage of people over here who would look at that courts actions and be mystified that anyone could possibly be enraged by them… except (gasp) a Communist Muslim!

  3. 3
    386sx

    September 3, 2011 at 9:42 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    I don’t see what’s offensive. Nobody knows what he looked like. Therefore he could have looked like Mickey Mouse. If he could walk on water and make fishies “poof” out of nowhere, then he could darn sure look like Mickey Mouse if he wanted to. Oh yeah, and “poof” the entire freaking universe too. I don’t see the big deal.

  4. 4
    386sx

    September 3, 2011 at 9:54 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    Lol look at all these scam artists…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visions_of_Jesus_and_Mary

    And they’re all highly revered too. There are some big names in there. Lol.

  5. 5
    dingojack

    September 3, 2011 at 10:16 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    Anyone else thinking ‘Draw Jesus as Mickey Mouse Day’? :) – Dingo

  6. 6
    386sx

    September 3, 2011 at 11:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    Anyone else thinking ‘Draw Jesus as Mickey Mouse Day’? :) – Dingo

    Not a good idea. They would run out of pogo sticks. (They use pogo sticks to jump up on the cross and be persecuted.) What would we do without pogo sticks.

  7. 7
    dingojack

    September 4, 2011 at 3:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    I thought they all only used one pogo stick, just in case it encouraged dancing [horrified shudder] ;) – Dingo

  8. 8
    sunsangnim

    September 4, 2011 at 3:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    According to their constitution, they do have freedom of speech. In fact, some of the articles are very explicit about their freedoms. But the government is corrupt and nobody truly believes that their rights will be protected. Constitutional violations are pretty routine.

    http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-03.htm

  9. 9
    dingojack

    September 4, 2011 at 3:37 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

    The oprative clauses in the Russian (the ‘them’ in the post above) Constitution are:

    Article 28
    Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with other any religion or to profess no religion at all, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them.
    [note also:
    Article 56
    3. The rights and freedoms envisaged in Articles... 28... of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, shall not be liable to limitations.]
    Article 29
    1. Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of ideas and speech.
    2. The propaganda or agitation instigating social, racial, national or religious hatred and strife shall not be allowed. The propaganda of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic supremacy shall be banned.
    3. No one may be forced to express his views and convictions or to reject them.
    4. Everyone shall have the right to freely look for, receive, transmit, produce and distribute information by any legal way. The list of data comprising state secrets shall be determined by a federal law.
    5. The freedom of mass communication shall be guaranteed. Censorship shall be banned.
    Article 44
    1. Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of literary, artistic, scientific, technical and other types of creative activity, and teaching. Intellectual property shall be protected by law.
    2. Everyone shall have the right to participate in cultural life and use cultural establishments and to an access to cultural values.
    3. Everyone shall be obliged to care for the preservation of cultural and historical heritage and protect monuments of history and culture.

    Make of that what you will
    Dingo

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