Demonstration in Moscow in front of the American embassy against the blocking of YouTube channels

Photo: Mikhail Sinitsyn/Sputnik via Agence France-Presse Singer and Kremlin supporter Shaman was present at the scene, according to Ria Novosti, after declaring earlier Friday that he wanted to organize a rally against the blocking he considers “illegal” of certain Russian YouTube channels.

France Media Agency in Moscow

Posted at 4:15 p.m.

• Asia

Several hundred people, including pro-Kremlin singer Shaman, gathered Friday evening in front of the United States embassy in Moscow to protest against YouTube's blocking of certain Russian channels on the American site videos, the Ria Novosti news agency reported.

A Russian flag was projected on the walls of the US embassy in the Russian capital, indicated a correspondent from Ria Novosti.

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According to this source, the sound system played several songs, including I am Russian, by Shaman, the new star of the major “patriotic” concerts organized by the Kremlin to exalt the idea of ​​“greatness” of Russia in the midst of the armed conflict in Ukraine.

Shaman was present at the scene, according to Ria Novosti, after having declared earlier Friday that he wanted to organize a rally against the blocking he considers “illegal” of certain Russian YouTube channels.

“No one will ban our songs,” said the singer, a fervent supporter of Vladimir Putin, before the rally.

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Gatherings yet prohibited

Gatherings in the Russian capital are almost all banned – except those organized by the Kremlin, in particular to criticize the West – officially due to the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, against a backdrop of increasing repression of dissident voices.

In Russia, people who participate in gatherings banned by the authorities risk heavy penalties.

The Commission European Union announced several weeks ago that it would place Shaman under sanctions because of his support for the Russian military offensive in Ukraine launched in February 2022. His YouTube channel was blocked at the beginning of July.

On Tuesday, Russia asked Google to unblock a total of more than 200 Russian channels on YouTube, suspended for Kremlin “propaganda”.

The Russian government, which continues to see “Russophobia”, has considerably strengthened its control over the Internet since the start of its assault in Ukraine in February 2022, banning a number of sites where critics of the Kremlin could express themselves. freely, like Facebook and Instagram.

YouTube has never been blocked, but rumors of its ban resurface regularly, especially since March 2022 , the Roskomnadzor authority had accused Google and YouTube of “terrorist” activities.