<nettime> Stop censorship: PIE on line

[Luther Blissett <tom9351@iperbole.bologna.it>]

This is the translation from Italian of a message put into circulation by
one <nobody@replay com>. 

STOP CENSORSHIP!

Although this message is anonymous, it is not a spam.
In order to say HELL NO! to censorship, we decided to put on line a cartoon
seized in Italy under charges of "paedophilia". The URL is

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/2279/bastacensura.html

The cartoon is  PIE. (Paedophile Information Exchange) by Miguel Angel
Martin, taken from the comic book Psichopatya Sexualis, published by
Milan-based Topolin edizioni. 
This comic book had been taken to court before, its publisher had been
fully acquitted, and yet Deputy District Attorney Maria Rosaria Sodano
ordered the seizure of the whole Topolin catalogue. 

Sodano claims she has enforced article no. 600/3 of the infamous Child
Pornography Act, which the Italian Parliament passed on July 3rd, 1998. The
article emends the Penal Code and establishes a harsher punishment for
'anyone who... distributes or spreads news or information aimed at
enticement or exploitation of the under-age, i.e. under 18'. It goes
without saying that Martin's work has nothing to do with art.600/ter, whose
enforcement in this case is ludicrous and bad-faithful. In fact, we are
talking about a cartoon, that is a product of creativity and free
imagination, in which no actors or models were hired or exploited. 

To us, this case unveils the real meaning of this law and the purpose of
its enforcers. These people don’t care about child abuse, their target is
any cultural work that undermines bigotry and the hypocritical notions of
"normality" they wish to impose as an universal rule.
These modern inquisitors are so obsessed with persecuting "deviants" that
they seized a work which had already proved not guilty. As the judge
himself wrote in his verdict, Psichopatya Sexualis does not adovcate the
violence it depicts. 

We could say many other things about the nature of the ongoing campaign
against "paedophilia" (which is unbearably hypocritical and instrumental). 
We could describe the law-and-order, pro-censorship hijack of the just
worry about child abuse. We could say much more about the assault on the Net.
We could also expose the role played by journalists, hacks and TV anchormen
- these people gave up any dignity and professionalism, for it is much
easier to build a lucrative career upon witch hunts and sensationalism.
Eventually we could point out that child abuse (sexual and not) usually
takes place inside the very institutions worshipped by  most witch hunters,
i.e. the Church and the patriarchal family.  
But we’ll just say that our choice (to make one of the seized cartoons
available on the web) is to defend everyone’s right to choose what can be
read or watched. This right is in danger, because of liberticidal mass
hysteria. 

Will some other zealant magistrate or priest consider our action illegal?
We don’t know. We don’t even care. 
We don’t belong to Topolin Edizioni, we are not acquainted with the authors
of the seized comic books, we are not members of any of the several
associations that have expressed their solidarity to Topolin.
We’ll remain anonymous. We aren’t trying to avoid responsibilities. We
think we are much more "responsible" than those who think that only passive
acceptation of the rules they enforce must be deemed as a responsible
behaviour. What we are trying to do is assert our belief in the Net’s
potential as a virtually uncontrollable media, still open to all those
opinions and rights that the powers-that-be want to repress. 
We also believe that free circulation of ideas and knowledge, as well as
cooperation between those who spread them, can render censors ridiculous
and make fun of all their attempts.
This website may be condemned to a short life. We invite you to link it,
nay, to save the pages and upload them elsewhere, in order to continue the
defense campaign.




_____________________

<BLINK>
Per contribuire alle _ingenti_ spese legali del Luther Blissett Project
nel caso " Lasciate che i bimbi", versamenti sul
Conto Corrente Postale n.28374403
intestato a Roberto Bui
</BLINK>
----
The Luther Blissett Mythopoetic On-line Guide,
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/6812/
last updated 6 September 1998 - Lots of new documents and pics.
----
"Disobbedienza civile elettronica"
del Critical Art Ensemble,
edizione libera anti-Castelvecchi:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2558
----
The Anti Art Web Site:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/4281/
----
Nelle migliori librerie: Quaderni rossi di Luther Blissett, n.1, lit.5000
Numero 2 in uscita a novembre.
---
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