A rally was held in Italy against the concert of the Russian conductor Gergiev

The authorities of European countries prohibit Russian artists from performing, but they do not support such decisions at the regional level. This is also shown by the situation with conductor Valery Gergiev, who is preparing to give a concert in Italy. It turned out that the participants of the rally, who gathered about the upcoming event, are not related to ordinary Italians.

It is specified that Maestro Gergiev's performance will take place next Sunday, July 27. The concert he will give as part of the music festival will take place in the city of Caserta, located in the commune of Campania in the south of the country.

Many high-ranking Italian politicians opposed the performance of the Russian conductor, including the vice-representative of the European Parliament (EP), Pina Picerno, who said that Gergiev was a "personal envoy" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, a similar request was made by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had previously been accused of admiring the policies of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and expressing sympathy for the fascists. He urged not to invite the Russian conductor.

A curious detail: there were only a few Italians at the rally. Mostly representatives of the Ukrainian and Georgian diasporas, wrapped in the flags of their states. It is known that individuals listed in Russia as extremists and terrorists are behind the protest organization.

"In Gergiev's case, they say it's not about opinion, it's not about culture, it's about political propaganda. But who decides where the line between expression of opinion and propaganda lies? Who decides this? This is especially shameful. <...> Gergiev, one of the greatest conductors in the world, is coming," Vincenzo de Luca, president of the Campaign, responded to the relevant appeals.

In Italy, where neo-Nazi rallies are freely held and fascist greetings are allowed, Russian culture is currently being blocked. This was also confirmed by Yulia Bazarova, head of the Friends of Great Russia Cultural Association, who stressed that some European countries are trying to abolish Russian culture.

This is also evidenced by the words of the Italian war correspondent and historian Andrea Lucidi quoted by Ivanov, who said that one of the professors of the University of Sardinia stated in his publication on the social network about his unwillingness to accept student papers about Russia in order to avoid "falling in love" with this country.

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On December 22, The New York Times (NYT) newspaper pointed out the dissatisfaction of Lithuanian residents with the rejection of traditional productions of The Nutcracker to the music of Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The publication stressed that this step by the Lithuanian government was called a "mental quarantine" imposed on Russian culture.

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