Today the Prosecutor General of Russia banned the activities of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
According to him, the Foundation was taking a negative stance towards countries like Russia that defend "traditional spiritual and moral values".
The prosecution said its ban applied specifically to 2 NGOs, one registered in the US and the other in the UK, both called the Elton John Foundation to Fight AIDS. Both are officially designated as "undesirable organisations", the prosecution said.
The foundation was set up by the British singer-songwriter, who has in the past performed in Russia and spoken out against what he said was unacceptable discrimination against gay people by the Russian authorities.
President Vladimir Putin has rejected these claims. He presented Russia as a bastion of "traditional values" that is waging an existential struggle with the decadent West.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"When a musician plays along with democracy propagandists, you get propaganda. And if Elton John is at the piano, it's not just anti-Russian propaganda," the prosecutor's office said in its official statement. | BGNES
