Teenagers stage a mass demonstration to protect Russian culture

A mass demonstration to protect Russian culture has been staged near the Ministry of Culture on Thursday. But only 15 teenagers, mainly the members of the Youth Communist Unity, attended the it.

The demonstrators did their best while making their speeches, demanding that Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi resign. They were speaking for stopping "Western cultural expansion" and supporting the Russian film industry.

Speaking at a press conference held in Moscow on Tuesday, Shvydkoi expressed hope that funding of the Russian film industry will grow by 70 per cent in 2003, and Russia will produce up to 100 films a year by 2006. In the Soviet time the figure reached 75 pictures a year.

However, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Russian Youth Communist Unity Igor Malyarov is sure that money will go into the production of only action films. "The financing of good films will remain at the same level," he forecast. In his words, "the state is doing practically nothing to raise a healthy young generation. In the Soviet times cartoons aroused only good feelings," he recalled.

Malyarov said that this demonstration is only the first step. He expressed hope that this act will attract a lot of people.