British MPs demanded to ban the cartoon "Masha and the Bear"
A group of over 50 members of the British parliament appealed to the authorities to ban the broadcast of the cartoon "Masha and the Bear" in the UK, seeing it as allegedly "Russian propaganda." This was reported on July 2 by The Guardian newspaper.
"An inter—party group of MPs has written a letter to ministers urging them to explore the possibility of stopping the broadcast of Masha and the Bear in the UK," the publication says.
It is noted that the reason for the appeal was the purchase by the American company Netflix of the rights to two more seasons of the animated series, which is also available on the British ITVX platform. MPs from the Liberal Democratic, Labour, Conservative, Green, Scottish National and Welsh parties have sent a letter to Culture Minister Lisa Nandy demanding that she intervene in the situation.
As indicated in the publication, in the appeal, which was prepared by Deputy Tom Gordon, parliamentarians claim that some episodes of the series allegedly contain "Soviet military symbols" and "introducing militaristic ideas." They point to scenes where Masha appears in a tankman's uniform, as well as a "border guard cap historically associated with the NKVD."
"My client categorically rejects the false and slanderous claim that Masha and the Bear is associated with propaganda. For almost two decades, the series has been entertaining families in more than 100 countries, touching on universal themes of friendship and kindness," said Melanie Bonvicino, a representative of Animaccord.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said on June 25 that the animated series Masha and the Bear allegedly introduces "militaristic narratives" into children's programs. He also stated that individual episodes of the cartoon containing Soviet symbols allegedly require "moral clarity."
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