Russian region bans foul language

[4me2]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Russian region bans foul language


</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> "Anything you say can be held against you"

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->Police in Russia's western Belgorod region are imposing fines on people who swear in public - and local officials say the campaign is very popular.

The officials say young people have been minding their language since the ban was introduced in July.

Any person caught uttering profanities in public can face fines of up to $50.

The authorities have launched anti-swearing poster competitions, TV ads and comics in their campaign to clean up the Russian language.

"We want Russian to remain as pure as in the great classics," said Valentina Trunova, deputy head of Belgorod's department of youth affairs.

'Positive response'

The money collected from fines is ploughed back into the campaign, she told BBC News Online.



<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg>
Mat nye nash format (Swearing is not our style)


Campaign slogan

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->"We're mainly targeting young people," she said. "We will continue the campaign for a long time - we've had a very positive response."

The fines of up to 1,500 rubles ($50) can be imposed under the region's existing civil law, she said. The law classifies foul language in public as hooliganism.

The initiative for the campaign came from Belgorod Governor Yevgeny Savchenko, who supports President Vladimir Putin. The region lies about 700km (430 miles) southwest of Moscow.

Almost 2,500 people - mostly under 30 - have been fined and about $50,000 has been collected, Belgorod officials say.



But according to Russia's Gazeta newspaper, some youths object to the crackdown.

"The cops have gone crazy," said one young man. "They are listening to our every word. We must constantly restrain ourselves."

The amount of the fine depends on the situation.

Swearing in front of elderly people or children incurs heavier penalties, a Belgorod government official said. No one has been jailed under the ban so far. <!-- E BO -->
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3707192.stm


F(uking good idea that ! :nowords:



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[ABCMan]

OH FUCK


actualy it realy isnt a bad idea, would give the zealots something to go after instead of people from the countryside, motorists and smokers.

before anyone says it sucks as an idea, think of all the chavs in jail for not paying their fines (and think how much better they would look in prison uniforms) although argos might suffer

[4me2]

If WiZer were to go there hed be bankrupt in an hour.

[flumperino]

If WiZer were to go there hed be bankrupt in an hour.

hahaha...it'd be like that classic episode of teachers when Bob has to cough up a tenner everytime he swears

[JMC]

I reckon this would be a good idea in the UK. We get loads of mouthy chavs walking around town swearing all the time where I work. Would be good to see the mouthy c**ts being fined! Maybe they could be forced to work instead of paying fines?

[CON-DIGI]

NEWSFLASH!

Roy "Chubby" Brown and Bernard Manning have been arrested in a dawn swoop, police are still searching for Jim Davidson........