Tools of tolerance? St. Pete leaflet depicts cartoon migrant workers (PHOTOS)

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Published time: October 19, 2012 15:14
Edited time: October 19, 2012 19:17

The illustration from the guide titled “Labor Migrant’s Reference Book”. (Image from spbtolerance.ru )

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Education, Health, Human rights, Immigration

In a bid to help migrant workers make their way in a big city, St. Petersburg has issued a reference guide depicting them as work tools with smiling faces – for greater clarity.

St. Petersburg’s government has published the guide titled Labor Migrant’s Reference Book on its website. It comes as a part of the government’s "Tolerance" initiative aimed at “harmonizing intercultural, interethnic and inter-confessional relations.” But…

The manual depicts working migrants as… tools! Migrants in the book are given the comic bodies of shovels, brushes and palette knives while the local residents are depicted as normal people. Artists Stanislav Shchepkin created the illustrations for the guide.

The city authorities claim that they have nothing to do with the visual concept of the guide and deny responsibility for depicting migrant workers as tools with smiling faces. They even issued an official statement saying “the executive authorities of St. Petersburg did not take part in the expert evaluation and the implementation of this project.”

The manual for migrant workers contains three chapters and around 50 pages of text illustrated with images. It refers to legal questions with recommendations, personal hygiene and precautions against diseases like HIV/AIDS, and gives advice on intercultural and everyday aspects of life in the city.

The authors of the reference guide say St. Petersburg not only has “a unique history and culture” but also “its own rules, problems and possible risks.” The book is aimed at giving migrants an idea about the problems and difficulties they may face and “help support your family and return back to your Fatherland alive, healthy and proud of having made a contribution to our great city.”

The guide was issued in four languages –Russian, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek.

The illustration from the guide titled “Labor Migrant’s Reference Book”. (Image from spbtolerance.ru )

Comments (11)

Petrov (unregistered) 21.10.2012 10:34

How can RT allow these insulting advertisements be shown in a blog about a story? RT has these morons in almost every story. Re scottjerry75. Bullstuff, waste of space, and these losers should be blocked. If they made $9990 a month they surely wouldn't need to contaminate a discussion with their dung. Scottjerry, get a f&$king life!

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SNAFU (unregistered) 20.10.2012 16:37

No reason to delete my post. Again, this was a creative effort and some people really try to be offended and insulted about any trivial matter.

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Provocateur Reduxx (unregistered) 20.10.2012 11:35

C.G. wrote in #9
For all the talk RT does about the west and the mainstream media, you are a spitting image of it when it comes to diversity/multicultu ralist propaganda. Seriously, I'm starting to see more similarities than differences. How can you talk about America with contempt, but then employ their same liberal tactics when it comes to race? I'd rather watch Fox News than RT now.....at least they don't discriminate and force immigrants on whites like how you're doing to your own ethnic Russian people.
I am with you on this one. But, let's examine this trend from two different angles: In my opinion, USA is scared of the trash that spills from the south and in order to maintain some sort of social stability they give in and cave in to those mostly semi-tamed, illiterate and unwashed immigrants. Russia, on the other hand, doesn't have that kind of problem. I think they are in real need of cheap labor and who else would do the job except herds of semi-tamed, illiterate and unwashed immigrants? It appears like they're copying semi-communist western approaches but in Russia you can still beat up on an immigrant when caught urinat ing in your back yard, and be hailed for doing so. In USA you land in GITMO and surrender your house to the untamed. I think Russia is ready to back to Sickle and Hammer and leave this dumb$hit democracy and "tolerance" to western dumba$$e$

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