that's. your thirst for. among the week's top stories from our jeanne international russia refresh the constitution comes into effect after getting solid backing in a challenging week long vote we'll gauge public opinion change. in the country and you think everything that has been done is right i think it is nonsense i think that it's needed because the current constitution is out of date to topple or protective debate rages on over the future of. 2 historical racism on our streets we look at germany's claim to have found a solution. and time's up seattle police cleared the self-proclaimed autonomous protest zone following deadly shootings and repeated violence.

in moscow this is our team international i'm john thomas certainly with us as we recap the week's top stories with our weekly program russia's overhauled constitution came into effect on saturday following a previous weeklong vote a hefty majority of the public endorsed of the changes with over 3 quarters in favor from a turnout of around 60 percent taylor kept tabs on the final day of polling for us . now this really was a vote of us the fos time people were in mosques and gloves that they were using disposable patton's wilson through temperature sconce focusing on law and facade as for the voting process itself while that was a situation where security footage allegedly caught a woman stuffing the ballots now but counting in that area of moscow has been

suspended pending an investigation otherwise the central editorial commission says that it found no irregularities that was so many amendments on the table $147.00 in total that it's difficult to decide what it was that ultimately secured public backing but undoubtedly it's the package of social amendments that house particularly white appeal i'm talking about things like adjusting pensions in law and with inflation and showing that the minimum wage never ever fools below the cost of living as well as giving additional financial support to low income families these proof because they have such a tangible impact on people's day to day lives but that is not to say that this was an easy decision for anyone old that it was about control to see a few amendments proved to be particularly polarizing and one that paints a lot of media traction was conceding the so-called zeroing out of president putin's previous tubs paving the way for him potentially if he wanted to do so run again twice as president on top of the some of the more conservative amendments

proved to be divisive such as defining marriage so many as a union between a man and a woman reiterating traditional family values as well as mentioning goal despite the fact that russia is officially a sect of the nation but let him the people themselves and what they have to say. why have i come here to vote because misty just russia and. all of them men women and you know i am not ok with them and about doing the presidential term i absolutely do not agree with. the can from him. if we go to be a member of the constitution of. the most important no matter the prevalence of the russian you know over international the head of the central election commission of said something about voting being like a meal deal you either take everything or you do not take it at all and i already do not like one dish in this meal deal so i will not take everything else i think it is nonsense according to all legal logical and ethical norms i love my country

and you think everything has been done is right i think that it's needed because the current constitution is out of date it is in modern time and even the view is that as far as new the bit of a mixed bag in terms of reaction and people decide to show that disapproval not just at the polls but also protests peaceful ones in the capital and also in the us and petersburg but true to 2024 it was safety fast. not. because. ultimately though many who put a tick in the yes box would argue that the russia of $9293.00 when this current constitution was born was full of political and economic instability it was still finding its feet after the collapse of the soviet union and that russia is not the same as the russia of 2020 that almost entirely different countries so i think this is yes to the changes was born from

a desire for the country's top document to move with the times to set russia on a new course and shape its future as envisaged by russians now today and not as envisaged by russians almost 30 years ago. there was a long list of amendments in the package on offer but it was one element in particular that got much of the foreign media fired up take a look. russia's parliament basically paving the way for vladimir putin to potentially stay on as russian president he's the longest serving russian leader since joseph stalin but a lot of your putin wants to stay in power even longer addressing lawmakers afterwards said he backed the amendment allowing him to seek another term in office but there are dozens of interesting that should also be discussed and the one that caught my eye was on children the role of children and all phones i explicitly mentioned in one of the constitutional and mark lund which i think is worse while

reflecting the russian federation of the year 2020 is in many regards i would say in a different situation than was the country in 1903 when we compare the international circumstances but also of course the national economic and political situation the early ninety's were marked by the implosion of the soviet union marked by the down proof of communists and. it was more about being a fax s. of the then the russian federation that we have today i think there is a need for. meeting this new circumstances because a constitution is almost a reflection of a society and also of the circumstances of the countries in so that huge year of the legislature the parliament in order to respond to do so new exigencies of.

the campaign to topple statues linked to historical racism saw groups attack and others attempt to defend monuments throughout the week and while some of the links may be clear the variable as i'm of denmark's little mermaid was a little harder to comprehend it was dubbed with the words racist fish but out. say they can't see what could possibly be racially insensitive about the hans christian andersen fairy tale so what is the best way to remember our history the good and the contentious larches peter oliver explores what germany thinks might be the answer. when it comes to assessing and dealing with difficult periods of history germany has more experience than most but we haven't seen the type of scenes here that have played out in the united states britain belgium. i. i.

i. i. but germany isn't without its own controversial statues otto von bismarck has been dogged with red paint in hamburg while as an ongoing campaign to block the renovation of another monument to the eye and chancellor in the port city bismarck wasn't just crucial in german unification he was also a driving force in colonialism and by today's standards and anti semite here in berlin selland of district anime is 1920 s. depiction of a needling

a black woman was decapitated last week castleman remains controversial in germany he was a committed nazi and despite that fact his works continue to be displayed across the german capital this particular monument had been slated for removal by city authorities who already deemed it earlier this year on suitable for display in the city of berlin and if it had diverse society cannot exist with this kind of bigotry and prejudice you cannot live together if you do not treat each other equally people shouldn't be discriminated against based on the color of their skin so what happens the statues in germany that no longer justify. exhibition well here in berlin they've got just the place for them the spandau citadel although the 16th century fortress has its own troubled past it was used as a chemical weapons storage by the nazis but. it was to bring. to show it

was an example of racism misspeaks and not this racial stereotype that should not be demonstrated on the streets but in a museum where we could demonstrate to people with encounters picks as we move through the exhibition we see hundreds of years of prussian military strongman into monuments of naziism the 3rd reich didn't really do sculpture but this casually too was one of few described by hitler as irreplaceable the nazis preferred buildings as their monuments to time and there's plenty of those still visible in modern berlin. one of the most i can change in this collection of discarded start to see is this gigantic granite head of blood to me a lenin it's all that remains of a 19 meet monument that was built in 1970 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. in the united states and also in great britain the red discussions at

the moment about what to do with dismantle memorials but here we have already found a possible solutions for memorials that are so to speak toxic if you put them in a museum that doesn't mean it's over we put them here so that people can continue to pay attention to them but in a different context germany is often cited as the example to follow when it comes to assessing periods of history troubling to modern sensibilities even if there are 2 named after nazi field marshall when rubble that the german military calls home to this day they glossed over it as they don't fit the particular narrative because history has a 10. not to be as neat as we might like it when it's really examined. r.t. berlin. the us has been ground 0 for revising the past these last few months and now even the country's national anthem is in question a tuneful daniel hearkens picks up the story for us take a look. 2020 is

a year of change and i'm not talking about coronavirus popular t.v. shows axed statues torn down even food brands updated to meet 21st century criteria of inclusive u.-t. equality justice and tolerance but is it enough can more be done well in the united states protests during the national anthem have been a bone of contention for quite a few years but what about the national anthem itself well now some people are saying enough is enough. i. i well that's that's you that just came off the plinth was francis scott key the man behind the lyrics that the star-spangled banner and former slave owner and anti abolitionist so what's the deal with the anthem itself. to do so warm. war.

what you can sing the all right of course though rarely performed that 3rd verse was directed by key black slaves who'd been freed or escaped and fought alongside the british in the war of 1812 his message to them was clear your fight for freedom will bring you nothing but death and downfall little wonder then that was attracted increasing scandal across the united states with both soccer teams and high school students refusing to play or sing at keys that only profited from slavery he apparently also harbored some pretty backward views on race and nationality and this widely attributed quote certainly has no place in this day and age. you don't want to hear me sing in french. but that was the morsy years familiar to all around the world for centuries truly a symbol of french national identity both in times of joy and tragedy and. did.

you knew that you know that is the who or who. 'd you so well some of those lyrics furious soldiers coming to cut throats grabbing weapons impure blood may seem to some at least to be appropriated by the far right and certainly having no place in the modern republic calls for change remain there's even a movement for a new master yes and while they're still far off their goal they're not alone various french figures throughout history have had issues with them from the right of victor hugo to socialist leaders. even seeing a surge gains ball who wrote his own reggae version back in 1979 have called for a mossy you make over. the seeing or not to see that is the question well former u.k.

labor leader jeremy corbyn found himself at the center of a media storm when he really got the wrong answer are you saying that you will sing the national anthem i'm going to be many of the take part fully in those events i don't see a problem but this is the issue surely is that we had a memorial for the battle of britain i was there and despite his explanation the press was merciless branding him all but a traitor but what would they say in 2020 beyond the 1st verse which we all know the lyrics do get a little strange especially in a secular society talk of a day theorizing to scatter enemies and punish those rebellious scots hardly makes any friends up north and whatever his reasons corbin isn't alone for example indigenous members of parliament in all taria recently announced they won't be taking part in any of them singing. god save the queen is an archaic tribute to the british colonial period and the centuries of violence oppression and discrimination

the british empire carried out against nations and peoples are considered inferior indigenous peoples in canada a glaring example among them perhaps corbin was just ahead of his time as well as canada they officially passed the motion back in 2018 making their national anthem gender neutral through. the. eye debates around symbols such as anthem statues or bronze don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but as the calls for transformation grow louder many may question what fundamentals they really change beyond just that symbolism. still ahead on our team international it is a world heritage site visited by millions but the proposed plans for these dan balz most iconic building could set muslims and christians at odds more on that after a short break this is the weekly on r.t. international.

before. all of trump became a household name the now states and other world over. washington ceased to be a city that. tended toward the compromised by what is a sure national interest people talk about gridlock in congress years people talk about. the right self the radicals mckeon in both bodies so this grappling. with the solid bipartisan centrist approach to politics most domestic and foreign. dates times that's for sure.

join me every thursday on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guest in the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then. or welcome back this is the weekly right here on r t international police finally moved in to clear out the cell to clear the autonomous protest zone in seattle on wednesday all the pockets of protests are ongoing in neighboring districts activists occupied the city's capitol hill which became known as chop about a month ago after police evacuated their precinct building the campaigners had said that they hoped to create a peaceful police free utopia but that peace did not last long in the 3 weeks of protests the zone saw 4 shootings 2 of them fatal there were also reports of assaults burglaries and rape and the protesters some armed were warned that they

could face arrest if they did not leave in the end of the 30 were detained seattle police released footage of some of the violence. push ups. and 1st of the mayor wanted to leave the activists to their takeover hoping for a quote summer of love but she was forced to take action that the decision came after protesters marched on her home demanding that the police be defunded and activist add to the site watched as officers moved protesters on this is his report . so i am outside of the pine street entrance of chop right now where a bunch of police have set up a barricade and the protesters are now beginning to gather you know just. you know

but they're blocking the street and trying to cause a little bit more awareness and the officers took that as an opportunity to simply enforce their version of law oh yeah nothing yet you know. but the police came in to chop and ousted the remaining people who were staying there there's been a brown 32 arrests and they've been spraying people pepper spray them in aggressive from your perspective what exactly happened basically i was that far and that's him at our end and it all started with that bang bang bang screams and then my. back there were a couple individuals who were speaking loudly who had megaphones were doing the crowd energized to actually bringing people in off the streets and the cops in a little bike brigade actually charging targeted those people arresting them individually and throwing them into the back of the cop cars far end of chalk. not

too long ago there were a bunch of tents in these areas there were people hanging out just living but in 5 hours everyone has been evacuated you know like you had a more like. 4040 time i still held. my matches down and her friend you know i don't think anybody in seattle did not see this coming ever since the string of 4 to 5 shootings that have. recently found out that the last shooting it was a 14 of a 16 year old kid who were killed so i think that it was. the cops who decided that it was time to put an end to it there's a lot of the moralization right now especially in the crowd of protesters because i think a lot of people are taking. it's a bit of a loss because. this entire idea of. seems to have. come to an

end. chess may be a game of strategy skill and patience but for australia's national broadcaster this week it became another pawn in the global racism debate the a.b.c. planned to ask radio audiences is chess racist because white pieces moved 1st it did not go down too well with a former australian chess federation representative who was asked to take part in the debate john adams refused and took to twitter to rebuke the a.b.c. saying the taxpayer funded national broadcaster is raising irrelevant topics during a pandemic his anger was echoed by world chess players like russian grandmaster anatoly karpov. a period of total insanity has become what does it have in common with the centuries old game john adams whose tweet propelled the raul into the open on tuesday says the order of who goes 1st has nothing to do with race and called

out the a.b.c. for inflaming racial tension. i was on the phone call the a.b.c. wanted to have a discussion about whether they should change the rule because of the carl rochelle context i think it's a big scandal the fact that what has nothing to do with race. it all comes down to a convention established in the late eighty's i think in western democracies that there is an agenda to push for increased racial tension and the a.b.c. tried to jump on the bandwagon by including chance the fact that the a.b.c. decided to pick chess as a topic i think it fully exposed what their agenda is we don't need more tension we don't need to divide people i think it's dangerous if we allow games that have nothing to do with race to the flu. for its part the a.b.c. later said it's am has been misunderstood the radio host whose show plans to hold

the discussion insists they were not looking for people to say that race is checked excuse me is racist instead rather james valentine says that they were looking to create quote fresh a conversation about our world. here's a different one the future of an ancient monument in turkey is at the center of a political round over the president's desire to turn it into a mosque sophia and istanbul has been a museum for almost a century now before that it was an orthodox christian cathedral for over 900 years and then a mosque for nearly $500.00 it is an imposing unesco world heritage site and a draw for millions of tourists.

turkey's main administrative body is expected to decide on the building's status in around 2 weeks time says it is illegal to change a cultural heritage monument status without their permission and given that it has been a muslim and christian place of worship over the centuries one eastern orthodox church leader is warning that the move could turn millions of christians against islam and they're not the only ones who are concerned the united states future changing the status of the fear is diminishing the legacy of this remarkable building and it's one supposed to belittle to serve humanity as a much needed bridge between those who have differing faith traditions and cultures . the highest of the a must not be allowed to be devastated with universal character and turned into a muslim place of worship what they take his government and president to do on our attempting to do today revives and reignites fanatical nationalist and religious

sentiment a symbol of tolerance and diversity this place must remain open to all. however the turkish leadership is not happy at being told what to do insisting it has the right to make decisions about its own buildings a presidential spokesman says that turning the museum into a mosque would not damage its cultural meaning and that visitors would still be welcome here is some of the reaction we heard from people in turkey. as far as i'm concerned it's best for it to stay in museums because there is a blue mosque 100 meters across the way it's best for him to see the museum i hope that it will be open soon and almighty allah will allow us to pray here as soon as possible but frankly i see it is a necessary tourism revenues are already all over the place because of this tens of thousands of people come here every month to worship and by doing something like this creating an artificial agenda there's nothing logical there's no right to me.

trying to revive the ottoman empire. we can see that it was all good movements that he's making and within this framework good he would like to see also a gradual one year so if you are is. to go before he added or period and this way he thinks that he will support a question over yourself. is not an issue. between disagree government and turkey because 8 years of fear is something that belongs to humanity and many jerks also intercounty believe it that it should remain a a world heritage and also asked such as a museum it gives a lot so her financial support that there was a mayor over of a stumble came out in saying that we don't need another mosque he said that that we should that we should leave it as it is and we still do really or close to it but i don't he's adamant he wants to break with

a modest past for his own benefit there's a female be back with another look at the weekly of top talent this is r.t. international. is you'll be d. a reflection of reality. in a world transformed. what will make you feel safe. isolation or community. are you going the right way or are you being led so. direct. what is true what is faith.

in the world corrupted you need to descend. to join us in the depths. or remain in the shallows. the world is driven by shaped by. the dairy thinks. we dare to ask.

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