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Russian Orthodox Church calls for harsher penalties for ethnic insults

"The very fact of creating a mob at the place of a conflict must be punishable," Chaplin said

MOSCOW, November 17 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Orthodox Church has suggested introducing harsher penalties for ethnic insults during household and economic conflicts.

Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, Head of the Department for Relations between the Church and Society at the Moscow Patriarchate, said at a hearing in the Public Chamber on Wednesday, November 16, that “household and economic conflicts turn into ethnic clashes because their parties bear no responsibility for ethnic insults”.

He also believes it necessary to strengthen responsibility for engaging members of ethnic communities or fanatics for resolving such conflicts.

“The very fact of creating a mob at the place of a conflict must be punishable,” Chaplin said.

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