Are broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow this is r. T. International im sean thomas certainly glad to have you with us as we recap the weeks top stories with our Weekly Program russias overhauled constitution came into effect on saturday following a previous weeklong vote a hefty majority of the public indorsed of the changes with over 3 quarters in favor from a turnout of around 60 percent a very tailored 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 the fos time they were using disposable patents wilson threw temperature sconce focusing on law and facade as for the voting process itself while that was the situation west 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 its difficult to decide what it was that ultimately secured public backing but undoubtedly its the package of social amendments that house particularly white appeal im talking about things like adjusting pensions and 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 proved popular because they have such a tangible impact on peoples day to day lives but that is not to say that this was an easy decision for anyone old that it was without control to see a few amendments proved to be particularly polarizing and one that paints a lot of media traction was conceding the socalled zeroing out of president putins previous tubs paving the way for him potentially if you 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 sector of the nation but thats him the people themselves and what they have to say. Why have i come here to vote because im a citizen russia and i agree with all of them men women and i am not ok with them than men about doing the president ial term and i absolutely do not agree with. The can from him. As with all of the amendments in the constitution of. The most important to me is the prevalence of russia 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 that has been done is right i think that its needed because the current constitution is out of date it is a modern time and even the view of life is 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 but here in the capital and also in the us and petersburg but true to 2024 it was safety fast. Not. Because. Ultimately the so 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 countrys 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 particularly that god much of the foreign media fired up. Russias parliament basically paving the way for Vladimir Putin to potentially stay on as russian president hes the longest serving russian leader since Joseph Stalin a lot of your future and 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 also all phones i explicitly mentioned in one of the constitutional and mark loans 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 ninetys were marked by the implosion of the soviet union marked by the down group of communists and. It was more about being effects 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 country it is in so the future of the legislature the parliament in order to respond to do snoops egypt is. A campaign to topple statues ling to 2 historical racism saw groups attack and others attempt to defend monuments throughout the week and while some of the links may be clear the vandalism of denmarks Little Mermaid was a little harder to comprehend it was dubbed with the words racist fish but academics. Make cannot see what could 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 parties put it all over explores what germany thinks is the answer. When it comes to assessing and dealing with difficult periods of history germany has more experience than most but we havent seen the type of scenes here that have played out in the United States britain belgium. Ah. Ah i. Was. But germany isnt 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 wasnt just crucial in german unification he was also a driving force in colonialism and by todays standards and on d. C. Might here in berlin selland off district anime as hassam in 1920 s. Depiction of a needling black woman was decapitated last week kasem and remains controversial in germany he was a committed nazi and despite the fact his works continue to be displayed across the german capital this particular monument had been slated for removal by city authorities whod already deemed it earlier this year on suitable for display in the city of belin. If you said i dont burst societies cannot exist with this kind of bigotry and prejudice you cannot live together if you do not treat each other equally people shouldnt be discriminated against based on the color of their skin so what happens to start choosing germany that no longer justify exhibition well here in berlin theyve 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. The proposal was to bring news that you to a museum to show it is an example of racism these mistakes are not repeated this racial stereotypes should not be demonstrated on the streets but in a museum where we could demonstrate it to people within context as we move through the exhibition we see hundreds of years of prussian military strongman into monuments of naziism the 3rd reich didnt really do sculpture but this castle it was one of few described by hitler as irreplaceable the nazis preferred buildings as their monuments to time and theres plenty of those still visible in modern belin. One of the most i can change in this collection of discarded start juice is this gigantic granite head of blood to me a lemon its all that remains of a 19 meat 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 of 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 doesnt mean its 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 Erwin rommel that the German Military calls home to this day they glossed over as they dont fit the particular narrative because history has a tendency not to be as neat as we might like it when its really examined peter all of r. T. Berlin. The u. S. Has been ground 0 for revising the past these past few months and now even the countrys National Anthem is in question tuneful Daniel Hawkins picks up the story for us. 2020 is a year of change and im 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 thats thats you that just came off the plinth was Francis Scott key the man behind the lyrics that the starspangled banner and former slave owner and anti abolitionist so whats the deal with the anthem itself. Andrew sure warms these walls. What you can sing the 3rd verse all right of course the rarely performed that 3rd verse was directed by key black slaves whod 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 the anthems 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. With the you dont 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. Who or who. d are 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 theres even a movement for a new master yes and while theyre still far off their goal theyre 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 make over. To 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 seemed really got the wrong answer are you saying that you will sing the National Anthem im going to be many of the ill take part fully in those events so i dont see a problem but this is the issue surely is that we had a memorial for the birth 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 isnt alone for example indigenous members of parliament in on tar you recently announced they wont be taking part in any of them singing. God save the queen is now ok 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. I debates around symbols such as statues or brands dont 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 R T International it is a World Heritage site visited by millions but proposed plans for istanbuls most iconic building could be said muslims and christians are not small and that after a short break this is the week we are to international. The world is driven by a dream shaped past and present there is. No dares thinks. We dare to ask. We go to work. Straight home. And welcome back this is the weekly on our Team International police finally moved in to clear out the self declared autonomous protest zone in seattle on wednesday although pockets of protests are ongoing in neighboring districts activists occupied the citys capitol hill which it 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 for utopia but that peace did not last long in the 3 weeks of protests and the zone saw 4 shootings 2 of them fatal there were also reports of assaults burglaries and even rape the protesters some armed were. Warned that they could face arrest if they did not only in the end over 30 were detained Police Released footage of some of the violence. Oh my god. This moves. At 1st and the mayor wanted to leave the activists to their takeover hoping for a quote summer of love but she was later forced to take action that decision came after protesters marched on her home demanding that the police be defunded an activist at the site watched as officers moved protesters on this is his report. So i am outside of the pine street entrance of the shop 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 theyre blocking the street and trying to cause a little bit more awareness and the officers took that as an opportunity to quickly enforce their version of law oh yeah. They let you know. That the police came and chopped and ousted the remaining people who were staying there is the number around 32 a rest and theyve been spraying people pepper spray them in addresses from your perspective what exactly happened basically i was at the bar and. At 4 am and they all started when that bang bang bang screams and then my house but there were a couple individuals who were speaking loudly red megaphone switching the crowd energized to actually bringing people in off the streets and the cops in a little bike brigade actually charged and targeted those people arresting them individually and throwing them into the back of cop cars far end of chop. 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 warning like. You do when you talk i still cant tell. My message right now and your friend you know i dont think anybody in seattle did not see this coming ever since the string of 4 to 5 shootings that have shot 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 theres a lot of the moralization right now especially in the crowd of protesters because i think a lot of people are taking the. Its 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 australias National Broadcaster this week it became another pawn in the global racism debate the a. B. C. Plans to ask radio audiences is chess racist because white pieces move 1st it did not go down 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 that during a pandemic his anger was echoed by world class 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 who tweeted propelled the rao 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 its a big scandal the fact that what has nothing to do with race. It all comes down to a convention in the late eightys 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 dont need more tension we dont need to divide people i think its dangerous if we allow games that have nothing to do with race to the flu. For its part of the a. B. C. Later said its a man has been misunderstood the radio host whose show planned to to hold the discussion insists that they were not looking for people to say chess is racist instead it James Valentine says they were looking to create quote fresh conversation about our world. Is an interesting one the future of an ancient monument in turkey is at the center of a political rally over the president s desire to turn it into a mosque in 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. Turkeys main administrative a body is expected to decide on the building status in around 2 weeks time you know asco 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 theyre not the only ones who are concerned. The United States future change in the status of the ideas of fear is diminishing the legacy of this remarkable building and its one supposed to billet to serve humanity as a much needed bridge between those who have differing faith traditions and cultures. The highest the fear must not be allowed to be divested of its universal character and turn it into a muslim place of worship where they take this 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 president ial 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 im concerned its best for it to stay in museums because there is a blue mosque 100 meters across the way its best for me to see is a museum i hope that it will be open soon and Almighty Allah will allow us to pray here as soon as possible just frankly i see it is a necessary tourism revenues are already all over the place because of tens of thousands of people come here every month to worship and by doing Something Like this creating an artificial agenda theres nothing logical theres no right to me. Trying to revive the ottoman empire. We can see that it was all good movements that hes making and within this framework good he would like to see also a gradual one year so if you have. To go before he at the door. And this way he thinks that he will have Popular Support the 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 turks also intercounty believe it that it should remain a a World Heritage and also ice such as a museum it gives a lot so her Financial Support to church with a mayor over of h. Temple came out in saying that we dont 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 it will go on hes adamant he wants to break with maoist past for his own benefit but as a female see you next week but stay with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest news and headlines from around the world this is our team to national and were glad to have you with us. Time after time called her ration to repeat the same mantra sustainability its very important to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport of sustainability spain over man at a more equitable and sustainable well. They claim their production is complete the hamas followed this new the dumbass league went off the beach and let god into Congress Number articles and got it done does not the Prison Companies want us to feel good about buying their products while the damage is being done far away theres a 2nd all this must be going to mean and i mean look. This is the moves i mean listen we dont want anyone and einstein theme time to be based on that understood look at who is going in. Your kid out be bold with be at your what. Im after attention youre watching a going underground special with the filmmaker francois truffaut once called the most important film director alive coming up in the show we asked bernard shaw give the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed humanity and what it means for the internet the police and the planet plus as those leaving lock down some friends and family for the 1st time in months we ask the legendary german director about his new film Family Romance l l c which explores the commodification of relationships all of them all coming up in todays going underground but 1st after a weekend its all the United States celebrating Independence Day and the u. K. Flooding the countrys pubs youd be forgiven for thinking life was getting back to normal after the coronavirus pandemic but with protests calling for the defunding of police still going on around the world will the only way to return to normal mean us having to embrace the surveillance state in fact will anything really be the same ever again joining me now from los angeles