Staunton, April 6 – Between 2500 and
5,000 residents of Novosibirsk staged a demonstration yesterday to demand that
Moscow follow the principles of the Russian Constitution and allow artistic and
other freedoms instead of pursuing what is an increasingly obscurantist,
reactionary and authoritarian policy.
The meeting sparked by the
Tannhauser case called for that play to be restored to the repertoire and for
the government to sack Culture Minister Medinsky who has been the point man for
the Russian Orthodox Church’s efforts to impose its version of political
correctness on the country (globalsib.com/21285/).
The meeting adopted a resolution, for
which signatures continue to be sought, and a letter to Vladimir Putin and
other senior Russian officials. A translation of the resolution is given below:
“We
citizens of Russia and residents of Novosibirsk, concerned by the cultural
situation in the country and the violation of Article 44 of the Constitution of
the Russian Federation which guarantees freedom of literary, artistic,
scientific, technical and other kinds of creativity express our anger at the
persecution of theater workers of the city of Novosibirsk, the activity of
radically inclined citizens directed at the blocking of cultural measures, and
efforts by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and a number of other
political figures to introduce censorship of artistic creativity.”
“Particular
groups of citizens cannot speak for all residents. About 8,000 people attended
performances of Tannhauser, a number that exceeds that of those taking part in
meetings against its showing. At the same time, the decision about the fate of
the play was taken without any account of the opinion of the audience and the
theater community. The Novosibirsk State
Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet is the property of society, and we demand
that in the process of taking key decisions, the point of view of all sides be
considered.”
“1.
Freedom of Creativity and Censorship. We
consider that the removal of the opera Tannhauser from the repertoire of the Novosibirsk
theater and the firing of theater director Boris Mezdrich are steps which
create a dangerous precedent for the further introduction of censorship in the
entire country.”
“We consider
any attempts at censorship of creativity as impermissible. We consider that it
is necessary to revise Article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian
Federation which governs ‘violations of the right to freedom of conscience and
belief’ to bring it into correspondent with the principle of legal clarity. No
category of citizens must have greater rights to the defense of their feelings
than do others since this contradicts the Constitution of the Russian
Federation. The use of Article 148 as an instrument of censorship is absolutely
unacceptable.”
“2.
The Ministry of Culture and the Novosibirsk State Academic Theater of Opera and
Ballet. The director of the theater
Boris Mezdrich was removed by Minister Vladimir Medinsky as a result of the
pressure of activists the majority of whom had not seen the performance. In
taking this decision, the culture minister ignored both the opinion of the audience
and the professional community and the decision of the court. He shows his lack
of respect to the theater community and the opinion of citizens and considers
actions limiting freedom of creativity as permissible. Such decisions encourage
aggression toward arts workers and viewers from the side of religious fanatics
and also deprecate and discredit the decisions of the court. We demand the retirement of Culture Minister
Vladimir Medinsky.”
“We
are convinced that the appointment of Vladimir Kekhman to the position of
director of the Novosibirsk State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet who has
a doubtful reputation (in particular his having been accused of massive fraud)
and not having made any serious contributions to the culture of the Russian
Federation will bring harm that cannot be corrected to the reputation of the
theater. We demand the retirement of Vladimir Kekhman and a public discussion
of candidates for a new director with the direct participation of the unjustifiably
removed Boris Medrich.”
“3.
Church and State. We are upset by the fact that the Ministry of Culture of the Russian
Federation in this conflict about the Tannhauser opera supported the church and
radical groups and not the public which has clearly and uniformly expressed its
attitude toward the case. The position
of the Ministry of Culture concerning the results of the public hearings of
March 13, 2015, bears a categorically one-sided character. We are concerned by
the methods which the Novosibirsk metropolitanate is using for the defense of
its interests. A radicalization of
movements linked to the church which can lead to religious extremism is taking
place. Religious activists are expressing their dissatisfaction by means which
are unacceptable for secular ethics and morality, which do not correspond to
the principles of law, and which express an extreme lack of respect to society and
its opponents.”
“Novosibirsk
is a city of science and culture, and we its residents deserve respect for our
opinion, our values, and our cultural dignity. We respect the rights of
religious believers and those who follow none as long as we preserve for each
the right to free creativity.”
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