Russia may adopt its own version of safe spaces for “social spaces” such as galleries, theaters and exhibition halls. But unlike American idea of “safe zones” on college campuses, the Russian bill is meant to protect the “high moral values” of Russian people, like “patriotism, religious beliefs, national and aesthetic values.”
According to the drafted bill, which will be submitted to Russia’s parliament by the end of spring, theaters and museums would face fines for failing to “protect visitor’s feelings” at controversial exhibits. If approved by the Parliament the legislation would become federal law.
“The danger of offending ‘high moral values’ is that it hurts public morality at large. If such cases are left unpunished they will disrupt moral standards of Russian society, which are crucial for the effective functioning of political and state systems in the country,” said Joseph Diskin, a member of the Civil Chamber of the Russian Federation, which helps draft legislation, including this particular bill. He also stressed that protecting “high moral values” is a direct responsibility of the state.
The designated “social spaces” would have to outline moral “rules of conduct” for artists and visitors. If an exhibit is deemed to have broken the rules, those responsible will be fined.
This bill is seen as an extension of Russia’s existing law to “protect the feelings of religious believers.” Diskin told a local newspaper that there should be administrative and criminal responsibility for offending any “high moral feelings,” not only religious feelings.
This proposed bill comes after a series of recent protests and scandals related to art exhibits in Russia that were deemed offensive. Back in September a photo exhibit of a controversial U.S. photographer Jock Sturges was shut down after violent protest erupted in front of the entrance of Moscow’s famous Lumiere Center for Photography. Demonstrators claimed that the exhibit, which portrayed nudity, was pornographic.
Just days later, another photo exhibit dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine was reportedly vandalized at Moscow’s Sakharov Center for Human Rights.
“There should be a connection in mass consciousness between moral norms and administrative sanctions, and this bill will provide exactly that,” Diskin said.
