Simpsons, South Park face ban in Russia over 'extremist', 'immoral' claims

London, Sept 25 : Russia is set to ban popular US cartoons like The Simpsons and South Park for being 'extremist' and 'immoral', and would be replaced by programmes teaching children to be patriotic.

One of the episodes of South Park has been accused of promoting religious hatred.

Russia's broadcast watchdog has began hearings on whether or not to revoke the license of a cartoon network as punishment for transmitting episodes of South Park, The Simpsons and Family Guy.

The State Duma, Russia's parliament, said that the frequency given to the 2x2 cartoon channel would instead be given to new government network that "reflects the state position in the area of youth policy".

According to Duma's youth committee, the American cartoons all of which have adult themes, children should be made to watch programmes teaching them patriotism.

The proposal to create a new state channel has also been condemned, as an attempt to seize lucrative frequency rights from a private broadcaster.

"The wish to create a youth patriotic channel is one of many attempts by the authorities at indoctrinating and brainwashing the young," Telegraph quoted Lev Ponomarev, a veteran human rights activist and member of Garry Kasparov's outlawed opposition party, as saying.

"The authorities are accelerating their own death by all this," he added.

The channel is facing a criminal investigation for broadcasting an episode of South Park that allegedly promoted religious hatred.

The episode, titled "Mr Hankey's Christmas Classics" featured a taking faeces that emerges from a lavatory every Christmas Eve to give presents to children whose diet is suitably fibre-rich.

Mr Hankey led a variety show of Christmas songs whose lyrics had been twisted to include profanities and digs at organised religion.

ANI