MOSCOW (Reuters) – Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning
satirical U.S. cartoon "South Park," calling the series "extremist"
after receiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said on Monday.
"South Park," a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of
nine-year olds in a Colorado town, has courted controversy since its
1997 debut, lampooning celebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage
and Saddam Hussein.
But investigators have filed a motion after deciding an episode
broadcast on Moscow television station 2x2 in January "bore signs of
extremist activity," said regional prosecutors office spokeswoman
Valentina Titova.
"In accordance with the conclusions made by experts from the court
investigations committee, a claim has been filed against 2x2 for its
broadcast of an episode of South Park," Titova said.
"South Park" has won two Emmy Awards and was first shown on the U.S.
Comedy Central network. It is dubbed into Russian and rebroadcast on
local networks, including 2x2, a channel which broadcasts animated
series in Moscow and St Petersburg.
A representative for 2x2 was not immediately available for comment.
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
Sean Walsh