(Adnkronos) – The Russian Supreme Court today approved the inclusion of Satanism in the list of “extremist” organizations, ordering the prohibition of such activities in the country, after accepting the petition presented in this sense by the Russian Prosecutor’s Office.
The same Prosecutor’s Office indicated, in a statement on its Telegram account, that the Supreme Court had accepted the request of the Attorney General Igor Krasnov, who stated that “the movement is based on an extremist ideology, hatred and hostility towards traditional religious confessions”, in response to the ban on the “international satanic movement”.
“Its members publicly advocate extremism, as well as the destruction, damage and vandalism of Orthodox churches, chapels, crosses, among others,” he said, before specifying that these individuals “use symbols and attributes and perform occult rituals”.
He also stressed that “its fundamental concepts are based on publications recognized as extremist material” and added that “the movement is closely linked to manifestations of radical nationalism and neo-Nazism. In addition to ritual killings, participants commit other crimes, including against minors,” he concluded.
The decision follows a round table held in April at the Chamber of Deputies, focused on the fight against “Satanism”, which, according to the Russian newspaper The Moscow Times, has drawn comparisons with Nazism and the LGBTQ movement. Participants said the movement’s goal was to destroy traditional values, as part of a Western “hybrid war”.
