More disturbing news from Russia: the Putin government has ordered teachers in St. Petersberg to monitor and identify queer students via social media accounts. The government has also demanded all the personal information of said students be turned over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for punishment.
The Russian activist organization LGBT Network released a statement this week following the acquisition of emails to teachers from government agencies. In the emails, teachers are ordered to assess the social media accounts of their students and draw up dossiers, noting if any pro-queer language or symbols such as the Pride Flag appear on their pages. Instructors then must turn the personal details–including names, addresses, and descriptions of each student–over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for processing.
The Putin administration justifies this kind of “monitoring” of students, aged 10-17, as a means of identifying “minors against whom illegal acts have been committed, or who have committed an offense or antisocial acts.”
Related: Russian teen forced to rape himself on camera for criticizing Putin ally
“It turns out that the administration considers only the fact of placing the rainbow flag by schoolchildren as an offense or antisocial act that should be punished. This is simply unacceptable,” said Svetlana Zakharova, a member of the Russian LGBT Network.
Besides being creepy and invasive, this kind of monitoring of children also violates Russian law.
“This is the second documented case when the administration of an educational institution takes over the functions of the morality police and monitors students’ social networks for ‘propaganda,'” Alexander Belik, a lawyer for the LGBT Network added. “In September last year, the rector of [Ural State University of Economics] confirmed that the university administration is monitoring students’ pages in social networks. Such monitoring is illegal. Educational organizations do not have the authority to collect materials on cases of administrative offenses, and teachers in their job descriptions do not have a duty to monitor social networks.”
The surveillance of underage students by teachers is just the latest in a series of attacks on the Russian queer community by the Putin government. Though homosexual activity is technically legal, queer people often become the subject of violence or harassment by police or the general public. Discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing and employment remain legal. Under the aforementioned anti-gay propaganda law, anyone who vocalizes or shows support for LGBTQ people can be subject to a government penalty. The Russian nation-state of Chechnya has also instituted “gay purges,” in which anyone suspected of being gay or of even knowing an LGBTQ person can be the target of vigilante groups or sent to a concentration camp for torture.
Essie
Sounds like 1938 Germany when the Nazis were rising and purging everything not acceptable. This sounds so scary.
exgoalie
If the POS in the WH gets another 4 years, he’ll try instituting this shit here in the US. We know how much he loves being putin’s bitch and will do anything to emulate him.
CityguyUSA
This is what authoritarian governments are all about and we have one too many in power at the moment. Perhaps in a couple weeks we’ll hopefully have one less and then some of those that are just piggy-backing on Trump (there’s a visual) won’t be as strong.
Kangol2
Yep, and remmeber, the Nazis first took office in 1933, with the help of right-wing parties, and by the end of the year, Hitler and his party had complete control of the government. The violent attacks and purges of left and centrist politicians (banning Communists outright, which gave the Nazis control of Parliament), the development of concentration camps and first government-supported murderous attacks on Jewish people, began in earnest. So they had a 5 year launch by the time 1938 rolled around, when they marched into Austria, seizing control of its government and territory, and also seized part of Czechoslovakia. In those five years they wreaked incalculable havoc and destruction, and one year later, in 1939, they started World War II by invading Poland!
barryaksarben
You would think they would monitor kids who were an actual threat to their regime and leave us alone. He is a monster. He will use any minority to treat like shit to have an enemy for the people
My2CentsWorth
CityguyUSA you are likely very wrong about Trump not being the president for 8 more years. He has no intention of leaving if he doesn’t win, or the screwed up system result in him being selected again.
After the election, he intends to get changes made so that he can get a 3rd term.
Democracy is coming to an end for the U. S..