The organizer canceled the concert on Sunday because the announcement had sparked too much controversy and controversial reactions in Ukraine. They asked the band to make a clear statement about the worthlessness of Russian art.
As the group announced, the members were categorically asked to state clearly that all Russians are bad and that all Russian art is worthless, but of course they did not agree to this. The local organizer of the concert announced on one of the social networks that the concert was canceled due to a heated controversy about the group’s views on the war in Ukraine.
“In order to prevent the unnecessary division of Ukrainians into different camps and to eliminate the cause of discord, we have decided to cancel the Laibach concert at the Bel Etage,” the organizer announced on Facebook. The sale of concert tickets has also been stopped on the organizer’s website, reports STA. “Although the group showed support for Ukraine and Ukrainians and condemned the Russian regime, a large part of the audience was categorically against the arrival of the Laibach group,” they wrote at the Bel Etage Music Hall and added that it is not yet the right time for the concert.
Ukrainians were divided by the Laibach group’s claims that the current war is a geopolitical conflict between Russia and the United States on Ukrainian territory. That is “a cynical proxy war for the geostrategic interests of the superpowers and financial capital (military industry, etc.)”, the group explained for the British when announcing the concert in the Ukrainian capital The Guardian.
Dismissed despite clear support for Ukraine
The comment for the British portal apparently reminded Ukrainians of Russian state propaganda, which portrays Ukraine as a puppet of the West. The band Laibach announced the concert in the Ukrainian capital last week. At the same time, they announced that they will donate the proceeds from ticket sales to charity. After the accusations of the Ukrainians, the Laibach group explained that it is not coming to Ukraine to “was the first, second or third group to perform in your capital during the war, as reported by some media, but as a clear expression of support for the country in this war”.
They also emphasized that some of their statements, which may not have been in line with the thinking of the majority of Ukrainians, were never intended to hurt Ukrainians in any way or to diminish the importance of their “fair fight.”
“From the first days of Russian aggression in Ukraine, we took an unequivocal position and repeated that there is no place for war in modern society. Geopolitical issues cannot be solved by armed attack and political incitement. We also immediately canceled all planned performances in Russia and condemned in all interviews Russian aggression in this war,” they explained. They added: “Make no mistake – we love Russian literature, music and art (…) But in this senseless war between Russia and Ukraine, we are wholeheartedly on the side of Ukraine and its people, who – as in the old biblical story of David and Goliath – they fight with dignity against a stronger enemy.”
Source: Rtvslo
