The prosecutor general’s office claims the US-based quasi-religious organization supports “members of extremist and terrorist movements”
Russian authorities have designated the US-based Satanic Temple as an undesirable organization, claiming that the quasi-religious group justifies violence and supports extremist and terrorist entities.
Under Russian law, any foreign or international organization which is believed to pose a threat to the country’s security and political system can be labeled undesirable. This status essentially prohibits such entities from operating in Russia; their bank accounts are frozen and local branches are shut down. Those found in breach of the law could face fines or even prison sentences under certain circumstances.
Since the legislation came into force in 2015, numerous not-for-profit organizations have had to close their doors in Russia, including the Church of Scientology and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In a statement on Wednesday, the prosecutor general’s office said that the “so-called Satanic Temple was registered in the US in 2012” by several Harvard University graduates. According to Russian officials, the group has 23 chapters in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Finland and several other nations. It is believed to have over 10 million members worldwide.
The Russian authorities claimed that the organization “promotes occult ideologies [and] uses Satanic imagery to discredit traditional spiritual-ethical values.” The Satanic Temple, which allegedly enjoys US government support, also justifies violence and “actively backs members of extremist and terrorist movements,” the prosecutor general’s office explained.
Moreover, the group is said to oppose Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine and to have organized fundraisers to support Kiev’s armed forces.
According to the group’s website, it does not believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural in general, but rather views its titular figure as a “symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds.”
The organization headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts says it stands for science-oriented rational inquiry and critical thinking, and opposes archaic “tradition-based superstitions” as well as “all tyrannical impositions.”
The entity, which is distinct from Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan, has been lobbying a number of causes, including abortion rights and bodily autonomy.
