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Madonna Refuses to Pay Bigot Govt Fine

04/08/2020

Madonna, who always used to be referred to, tongue in cheek, by the gay paper Boyz as “our glorious leader” has revealed that she has left the increasingly fanatical Russian state hopping mad by refusing to pay their fine of one million dollars, levied on her for expressing her solidarity for the Russian LGBTQ communities. The fine was given because Russia, which flouts most democratic norms and openly persecutes minority groups, has a law in place which prohibits what it calls “gay propaganda”. In practice, the law is used to legitimise daily harassment and victimisation of non-heterosexuals and anyone who is not gender conformist. Madonna visited Russia in 2012, and in a packed concert in St Petersburgh, gave a defiant speech for LGBTQ freedom. “‘It’s a very strange time in the world. I’m travelling around the world and I feel it in the air. I feel people are becoming more and more afraid of people who are different. People are becoming more and more intolerant. It is a very scary time. But we can make a difference. We can change this. We have the power. And we don’t have to do anything violent. We just have to do it with love.” True to her beliefs, Madonna continues to defy the Russian government and has not paid a single rouble of her fine. Gay Star News reports that one of the reasons Madonna was targetted by the Russian state is that she also gave her support to Pussy Riot, the feminist punk rock art group, who the Kremlin tried to incarcerate for protesting against the country's authoritarian rule. Madonna said “ ‘I’m against censorship, and my whole career I’ve always promoted freedom of expression and freedom of speech so I think what’s happening to them is unfair” . Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe reports that daily mass protests continue in the Russian far east region, which includes the cities of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. The regional governor has been dismissed by the Kremlin who have installed their own man in his stead, prompting upwards of fifty thousand to march regularly. Unusually, the police have held back from interfering with the protests. In the power base of the Putin regime, Moscow, any dissident activity or protest usually attracts beatings and arbitrary arrest. Human Rights Watch says “ Today, Russia is more repressive than it has ever been in the post-Soviet era. The authorities crack down on critical media, harass peaceful protesters, engage in smear campaigns against independent groups, and stifle them with fines.”

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