Statement

1. Utopie is not the organizer of the film screening; that is the organizations Fourth Wave, The Hague Peace Projects and Café voor Recht en Vrede. These are organizations that often organize events in Utopie and whose activities we appreciate because they contribute to the public debate on important topics like peace and war.

 

2. Utopie does not take a position on events organized in Utopie, unless they are illegal. Then of course we do not allow them.

 

3. Utopie operates on the principle that in a democracy the public debate benefits from a multitude of opinions. Almost every week at Utopie, opinions can be heard that board members or employees do not share. This is no reason for us to refuse an event because we see our role as serving the public debate and not one particular opinion or party program.

 

4. Utopie is aware of the existence of war propaganda. Russia spreads a lot of war propaganda, but so do Ukraine and its allies. Suppose the documentary “Russians at War” contains Russian propaganda, then it still offers viewers the opportunity to learn about the official Russian perspective and / or the role of propaganda and disinformation, and that too serves the public debate.

5. Utopie is against censorship and therefore also against self-censorship. Of 

course, there are always borderline cases, but this is not a borderline case. Firstly, opinions on the documentary are mixed. Most people have a nuanced opinion about the documentary. Some call it Russian propaganda and others hail it as a great anti war documentary. Secondly, we know the organizers to be people who strive for peace and fight authoritarianism wherever it appears. Thirdly, our visitors are perfectly capable of critically evaluating and assessing information.

 

6. Particularly in times of war, it is important to critically examine dominant narratives and protect democratic principles such as freedom of speech, and that is exactly what we strive to do in Utopie.