"VKontakte" fights "Pagonya"

The moderators of the VKontakte social network blocked the application developed by the Belarusian oppositionists, as they considered the coat of arms "Pahonia" to be "extremist symbols".

On March 6, 2014, it became known that the moderators of the social network VKontakte denied a group of Belarusian oppositionists the placement of a program-application, which, in their opinion, violated Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols, or in public demonstration of paraphernalia or symbols of extremist organizations).

The application, timed to coincide with the Belarusian Freedom Day on March 25, was intended in order to inform VKontakte users about events on this day and mobilize them to participate in actions. It was sent to moderation of the administration of the social network in order to include it in the general catalog. However, the placement was denied due to " violation legislation of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Art. 20.3. (Propaganda and public display Nazi paraphernalia or symbols, or public display of paraphernalia or symbols of extremist organizations) ". At the same time, the moderators refused give an explanation of which particular symbol is seen as a violation.

The only symbol used in the app is the coat of arms "Pahonia" on the logo, and the creators of the program put forward a natural assumption that "extremism" lies precisely in it.

From 1991 to 1995 "Pursuit" was the coat of arms of the Republic Belarus. After a referendum in 1995, which deprived her of the status of a coat of arms, she became be used as one of the symbols of the Belarusian opposition. In the 2000s the coat of arms was included in the list of historical and cultural values ​​of the Republic of Belarus. "Chase" depicted on the coats of arms of several Belarusian regions and on the emblems of various organizations, including opposition parties and movements.

Obviously, this coat of arms is not Nazi. Neither the emblem "Pursuit" itself, nor the organizations using it in its symbolism, are not recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation, its demonstration does not violate the Code of Administrative Offenses. Actions of VKontakte moderators seems to us unreasonable.

Sources

• "VKontakte" banned the symbols of neo-Nazis from Belarus // IA REGNUM. 2014. March 7.