The Amazing Adventures of :The Strike of the Russian Gods; in Russia

In June and July 2008 law-enforcement agencies and law courts of different regions of Russia considered the book :Удар русских богов; (:The Strike of the Russian Gods;), and delivered solutions of a surprising variety.

The thick late-1990s book, carrying a swastika-like symbol on its bright red cover, is a manifest written from a pagan perspective against "the most common Jewish religions', i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and communism. It seeks to stimulate the readers to rediscover the old forgotten gods of the Arian race, to choose truth over religion, and to shake off the domination of the Jews and of their Masonic organizations.

On June 20, 2008, the District Law Court of Kostroma refused the request of the acting regional prosecutor to acknowledge the book as extremist and confiscate its print run. According to the :Русская Правда;(:Russian Truth;) newspaper, the decision :was based on international regulations - article 19 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, after confirming its priority over national law, in accordance to the provisions of article 15 of the Russian Constitution.; The law court determined that :the prohibition of the publishing, storage, and propagation of Vladimir Istarkhov's book The Strike of the Russian Gods, as well as its confiscation, is in no way different from limiting the exceptional right of the author to create;. Since the Kostroma district attorney's office did not choose to protest the court's decision, it entered into force as of July 1, 2008.

As early as July 7, the District Law Court of Yekaterinburg satisfied the demand of the district attorney and acknowledged as extremist the content of three books - among them :The Strike of the Russian Gods; - and ruled to confiscate the unsold part of the print run.

Meanwhile, on July 2, in Arkhangelsk, a case was set up against an inhabitant of the city who had distributed 11 copies of the book, based on Paragraph 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (which condemns the incitement of hatred and hostility). A linguistic examination found that the book :contained phrases and words directed towards the incitement in society of religious and nationalist enmity;.

Let us recall that the same article was invoked in Saratov in June 2007, for the sale of :The Strike of the Russian Gods; in one of the bookstores of the city - then the linguistic examination also concluded that the book incites dissension. Furthermore, in February 2008, the district attorney's office in Krasnoyarsk warned the managers of two urban bookstores in which the book was sold, and eventually it was withdrawn.

Since the ruling of the Yekaterinburg district law court has not yet entered into force, the question about the extremist character of :The Strike of the Russian Gods; remains open.

To see the list of literature considered to be extremist, click here.

For more information about the Russian anti-extremism law and its application, click here.