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Russian court bans social media group for anti-women and anti-gay posts

The BBC reported that a Russian court has banned as "extremist" a social media movement called Male State, for inciting hatred of women and gay people.
It said that last week YouTube and the messaging service Telegram blocked access to channels run by Male State's founder, Vladislav Pozdnyakov.
The group, set up in 2016, has attracted thousands of followers. They initially organised on Vkontakte (VK), a Russian equivalent of Facebook.
Pozdnyakov is said to be now abroad.
According to the BBC, the court in Nizhny Novgorod, a city on the Volga river about 440km (273 miles) east of Moscow, accepted the prosecutor's evidence that Male State had hounded women and gay people online.
One example was the group's targeting of a sushi restaurant chain called Tanuki. The group vilified the chain for its advertising featuring a black man and LGBT rainbow colours.

In court the group's lawyer, Dzambolat Gabarayev, argued that the anti-Tanuki campaign was not racist, but that it was legitimate to condemn the rainbow colours of the sushi in the ad because, he said, it was illegal in Russia to spread pro-LGBT messages seen by young people.
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A 2013 law in Russia bans dissemination of "gay propaganda" targeting young people, including LGBT symbols and information about gay lifestyles. There has been widespread condemnation of that law.
The court heard evidence from a Russian anti-extremism centre, which described Male State's ideology as a drive to re-establish a patriarchal society, subordinating the position of women, BBC Russian reports.
The BBC mentioned that sexism and homophobia are widespread in Russia, but those expressing such prejudices are not often prosecuted.
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In December 2018 Pozdnyakov was sentenced to two years in jail for extremism, after a prosecutor had accused his group of "activities aimed at denigrating women". Pozdnyakov admitted guilt at the time, but soon after sentencing it emerged he had left Russia.
Responding to the prosecutor's condemnation of Male State for hounding women, Mr Gabarayev said "they were women who had themselves denigrated men".
In 2018 the group launched a campaign shaming Russian women who socialised with foreign fans during the Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Source: BBC
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
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