AMSTERDAM — A live event starring two Russian TV stars has stirred controversy in the Netherlands, with critics decrying the presence of Russian propagandists on the European stage during Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Veteran Channel One host Vladimir Pozner and late-night talk show host Ivan Urgant's European tour, “Posner & Urgant Travels,” kicks off in Amsterdam on Tuesday before stopping off in Zurich, Berlin and Frankfurt.
The show is being introduced as an evening where the pair, who have previously co-hosted a number of travel shows, will reminisce about their travels around the world.
Despite being billed as a non-political event, all discussion around it was centered around politics.
Critics slammed the Amsterdam theatre for hosting “Russian propagandists” and allowing them to profit from performing in Europe, and said it was a “betrayal” of tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled to the Netherlands after Moscow's invasion.
Others, however, argue that banning politically motivated events would amount to the Kremlin stooping to the same level as it has in silencing independent journalists, activists and artists in Russia.
As participants arrived, about 25 protesters, some with Ukrainian flags draped over their shoulders, stood in the rain outside the Amsterdam theater, chanting slogans including “Shame on you,” “Russians go home,” “Russia is a terrorist state” and “Russian propaganda kills people.”
“You'll understand why when you hear it,” said Anna, a young woman from Ukraine who has been living in the Netherlands for two years, when asked why she took part in the protests.
“Russian propaganda is dangerous and it has to stop,” she said. “This is important not just for Ukraine, but for everyone, because Russia is a really abusive country.”
In the theater lobby before the sold-out show, some audience members took photos of protesters through the glass, and people could be heard discussing the news over sips of sparkling wine.
“our [fellow attendees] They responded — they looked away. [from the protesters]”… I stared at them,” said Alisa, a Russian immigrant who had come to see the show with a friend.
“Many of the people who came to the show do not support the war, and of course we have a negative view of it,” she said. “The aggression of the crowd was horrifying. They pointed fingers at us. I'm glad the police were there.”
On the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Urgant, who is often likened to American late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Posts He posted a black square on his Instagram account with the caption, “Fear and pain. No to war.”
His show was canceled shortly after it aired, and he has remained silent about the war since then. He did not respond to The Moscow Times' requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Pozner became well-known in the West for his television appearances expounding on Soviet views and policies during the Cold War, a role he later described as “propaganda”.
His interview show on Channel 1 had millions of viewers and was often compared to “Larry King Live,” but was taken off the air after the invasion of Ukraine. He later Said This was a move by the channel to make room for war coverage.
“Certainly censorship exists,” Pozner said during a debate with Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in 2016. [in Russia]And I accepted it. I could have slammed the door. [closed the show] “I wasn't doing anything. But I believe I am doing something useful for society. I am making people think.”
Although Posner has never publicly criticized or supported the war, was suggested The West took responsibility for Moscow's invasion after Russia demanded that they block Ukraine from joining NATO, but the West refused.
Asked about the protesters outside the venue, Pozner told The Moscow Times that it was “their right” to express their opinion, but declined to comment further.
Theater Amsterdam declined to comment on the matter, instead citing a May 24 report by The Moscow Times. statement Featured on our LinkedIn page.
“We support free speech, creative expression and a safe environment for all who love the arts,” the theater said in a statement.
“The performers say their show has nothing to do with war and they wish to perform in an atmosphere of peace and freedom,” the theater said, adding that staff had received threats and intimidation over the event.
Sitting in the theater was a woman named Olga from Lviv, a Ukrainian city near the Polish border. Explained Considered a centre of “Russophobia” by the Kremlin and Russian propaganda, he was relocated to Amsterdam due to the war.
Speaking in Russian to The Moscow Times, she said she felt “embarrassed” to have taken part in the event.
“I've been following Urgant and Posner for about 15 years and wanted to meet them in person,” she said.
“That’s when I first learned that Posner supported the war,” she continued. “If only I had known. [beforehand]he never came.”
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