Putin invited the ONF to analyze anti-extremist law enforcement practice

The President of Russia believes that the practice of combating extremism should be "in the field of view of the public."

On June 7, 2018, during a direct line, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered a question from State Duma deputy Sergei Shargunov about the practice of combating extremism. In his opinion, it does not need to be "brought to the point of absurdity", law enforcement practice in this area should be adjusted taking into account public opinion, and the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) can be involved in its analysis.

Shargunov asked Putin the following question: “ It seems to me that Russia has always been - in spite of everything, any obstacles - a country of free thought, and free thought and the sharpness of controversy have always been important for our public life and for our art. Lately I have been receiving quite a lot of alarming signals from different places, especially from the provinces.There are some performers who take on the so-called extreme with particular zeal - these are some posts on social networks, likes, reposts. And this is not about direct calls for violence, which I categorically condemn, but often just with, but not pursue about absurd or harsh judgments, which you can disagree ! : extremist community I understand that neither you nor I can interfere in court cases, but it is possible to give certain assessments. Sometimes there is a feeling that if we take Article 282 of the Criminal Code literally, then some zealots should posthumously condemn Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Mayakovsky, and withdraw their writings! And then the new laws related to the Internet arrived in time - in my opinion, they are quite vague, so there is a huge scope for liberties of interpretation. Doesn't it make sense to somehow suspend those who decided to roll other people's opinions at full speed? Moreover, this is real anxiety, fears and human destinies - especially young people, who, it seems to me, should not be frightened ".

“ Well, I agree with you. You remembered classical literature. One of the heroes of our most famous work said: “Collect all the books and burn them.” Of course, we cannot go down this path, we must not go and never But this judicial, law enforcement practice, of course, should be in the public eye – this is very important! – and should be corrected. "I spoke - as in other spheres of activity, in other spheres of the life of society, general rules should be applied. If you violated - answer. But you need to decide on the very concepts of what it is. There is no need to bring everything to insanity and absurdity, as you said. I completely agree with you, let's go within the framework of the All-Russian People's Front – I'll ask my colleagues, they worked quite effectively in various areas, important areas for the country in previous years; this is also a very important area – together we will analyze what is happening. On the one hand, extremism must be blocked, which, of course, is in the interests of the overwhelming majority of society. Well, who will argue with the fact that it is necessary to put a barrier to the propaganda of suicides among young people, is anyone against it? Well, of course not. Or the spread of, say, some fascist ideas. Is anyone against it? No, of course not. And so on and so forth. But we need to define the concepts, we need to involve the Supreme Court. I am sure and want to assure you that both in law enforcement agencies and in the judiciary, people understand their tasks. If there is something that requires our additional attention, let's focus this attention on the problems that you just mentioned. ", Putin replied.

Sources

• Direct line of Russian President Vladimir Putin. TV broadcast. 2018. June 7th.