Journalists call cultural conflicts in Dagestan a nationwide trend

Fans of the Korean "BTS" band did not believe in the seriousness of the threats, because of which the film about the musicians had been cancelled in Dagestan. Such threats pose a real danger, and the repeated disruption of cultural events in the republic causes serious damage to society, believe journalists and the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" local office.

Dagestani fans of the "BTS" band said they would like to watch the film, despite the threats. Some of the fans even plan to travel to another city to watch the film.

The tactics to intimidate people to cancel events exists for a long time throughout Russia, notes Svetlana Anokhina, a journalist from Dagestan. According to her, the above situation led to self-censorship among residents of Dagestan.

"My friend, who worked as a proofreader in a newspaper, suddenly started writing the word 'Islam' with a capital letter in social networks. She says: 'Well, you know them. They write like that, and if you write with a small letter, they may take offence'," said Svetlana Anokhina.

A method to associate an artist with the LGBT community is often used to cancel some events, Svetlana Anokhina notes.

Meanwhile, according to the journalist, the authorities do not respond to the cancellation of events.

The journalist does not believe in the sincerity of opponents of concerts, film screenings, and festivals in Dagestan. "I'm sure that all the cries stating that 'we stand for our own culture, religion, and against depravity' are lies. Many things in our world do not correspond to the provisions of the religion, but not all events are cancelled because of that fact," said Svetlana Anokhina.

The threat of disrupting events comes not only from radicals, but also from ordinary people, notes Sirazhudin Datsiev, the head of the Dagestani branch of the HRC "Memorial". He believes that any threats, as well as restrictions on freedom, are dangerous.