Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Scottish indie
rockers Franz Ferdinand said they were pulling Russian gigs
scheduled for the summer, adding "the only reason for this is
the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian state."
"We love Russia. This great country has inspired our band
through its art and literature and since we first played there
seventeen years ago, we have built a rich and deep relationship
with our Russian fans," the band said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called "a
special military operation" last Thursday.
"We have spoken to many of our friends in Russia via social
media and have encountered unanimous opposition to this violence
and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends," the band said.
"We know you see the madness of your country’s leadership. We
know you do not want war. We do not want war."
Tomlinson, a former member of boy band One Direction, said late
on Monday that he was cancelling tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv.
"The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to
the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless
war," he wrote on Twitter.
Announcing he had cancelled his Russia shows, Yungblud said he
was "heartbroken" to do so over Moscow's assault on its
neighbour, the biggest attack on a European state since World
War Two.
"Everyone deserves to be the creator of their own destiny,
rather than having it forced upon them by acts of war and
aggression," he wrote on Twitter.
Other acts to pull Russian gigs in the last few days include
U.S. rock bands Green Day and Health and indie pop trio AJR.
"Though we do not wish to penalise our fans for governmental
decisions that are beyond their control, given the current state
of affairs we will no longer be performing our previously
scheduled shows in St Petersburg and Moscow," Health wrote on
Twitter on Monday.
"Our thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine."
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Raissa
Kasolowsky)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|