Ukrainian organizations in Europe have joined the protest of Radical Europe, which is trying to cancel the performance of Russian conductor, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Valery Gergiev at the Un'estate da RE festival in southern Italy in Caserta. This is stated in the statement of the organization.
Earlier, a Forum of Ukrainian Associations of Italy was held in Rome, at which the president of the World Congress of Ukrainians** Paul Grod and 36 Ukrainian associations of Italy signed an open letter to Italian institutions urging them to cancel Gergiev's speech scheduled for July 27 in Caserta.
Radical Europe announced that it was buying tickets for Gergiev's concert, calling it a nonviolent protest against the concert, in case it was not canceled.
The Ukrainian letter was sent to the Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, the president of the Campania region Vincenzo De Luca, the mayor of Caserta Carlo Marino, the artistic director of the festival Antonio Marzullo and other responsible persons.
The text states that the Milan "La Scala", the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The authors of the letter call the Russian artist "persona non grata in Western theaters" and claim that calls to cancel the concert are multiplying.
"We, the Ukrainian communities of Europe and Italy, join these calls. It's not about censorship. Just as it is not about music, not about art, not about culture," the text of the appeal says.
Ukrainian activists repeat the words of the main opponent of Gergiev's speech in Italy, Vice-speaker of the European Parliament Pina Picerno, who does not consider her actions "Russophobic."
"It's not about censorship. Gergiev is one of Russia's cultural envoys, designed to soften Western public opinion," she told the BBC.
The press secretary of the European Commission Eva Hrnchirova explained that the Un'estate da RE festival does not receive funding from the EU: it is financed from Italy's own "cohesion funds". Thus, she refuted the words of Picerno, who claimed that "taxpayers' money" would be spent on Gergiev's speech.
Alfredo Antoniozzi, vice-chairman of the Italian ruling Brothers of Italy party in the Chamber of Deputies, called Gergiev "just a great artist," and talk of canceling his performance was "cultural genocide."
At the same time, representatives of FBK* (Anti-Corruption Foundation *) are trying to get a ban on the entry of the Russian conductor to Italy by contacting the country's Foreign Ministry.
The publication emphasizes that sanctions of Ukraine and Canada, the European Union refrained from including Gergiev in the sanctions list.
As reported by EADaily, Gergiev is scheduled to perform on July 27, 2025 at the Royal Palace of Caserta with the Philharmonic Orchestra from Salerno and the soloists of the Mariinsky Theater. The last time Gergiev performed in Italy was on February 23, 2022.
Earlier, the vice-speaker of the European Parliament, Pina Picerno, called on the social network X to cancel Gergiev's speech.
Prior to that, she achieved the exclusion of the Russian opera singer, Honored Artist of Russia Ildar Abdrazakov from the troupe of the Neapolitan San Carlo Theater.
Vincenzo De Luca, president of the Campania region, said he would be "proud" to receive the Russian conductor. According to him, local authorities have always encouraged the presence of Jews and Palestinians, Russians and Ukrainians at cultural events, trying not to mix the political and cultural levels.
De Luca also recalled how a few months ago, Palestinian and Israeli, Russian and Ukrainian artists were represented simultaneously at an event in the Naples Cathedral.
The artistic director of the festival refused to comment on the situation, and the festival representative confidently stated that Gergiev's concert would take place.
*Extremist organization, banned in the territory of the Russian Federation
**An organization whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation