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Russian festival pulled at last minute due to political pressure
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 12 July 2016
A hardcore festival due to take place in Moscow last weekend was cancelled at the last minute under pressure from local law enforcement, with local media reporting that the authorities objected to the booking of two Ukrainian bands at the event.
According to Billboard, a since deleted message posted to Raw Fest’s page on social network vKontakte hours before the festival was due to begin read: “We spent the entire day with law enforcers, and they gave us many reasons why the festival shouldn’t go ahead. The law enforcers promised us and [audiences] all kinds of problems, even if we moved the festival to another location… There is no alternative to cancelation of the festival”.
It is thought that the booking of Ukrainian bands Kingpin and Bluesbreaker was behind the opposition from the Russian authorities. Documents published by website Grani.ru seemingly stated that these bands had previously taken part in fundraisers linked to the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine, raising monies for those fighting against Russian-backed forces in the region.
The festival’s organisers have said that they will endeavour to refund all ticket holders out of their own pockets.
