Russian pavilion to be excluded from 2023 Edmonton Heritage Festival because of safety concerns: board
CTV
The Russian pavilion will not be part of the 2023 Edmonton Heritage Festival, the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association (EHFA) board announced on Friday.
The Russian pavilion will not be part of the 2023 Edmonton Heritage Festival, the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association (EHFA) board announced on Friday.
The board says the decision was made due to safety concerns as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and will be reviewed on an annual basis going forward.
"Following a long consultative process that culminated in a meeting with both pavilions together in the same meeting space last week, it became very clear to the EHFA that it was not possible for the two pavilions to come up with a solution together despite best efforts," the EHFA board wrote in a news release.
"As much as we do our best to stay out of the politics that are reflected in the countries that represent the cultures that make up our festival, conflicts do exist and can escalate to the point where they cannot be ignored."
The board said several threats had been made demanding the exclusion of the Russian pavilion, but did not disclose the source of the threats.
"The EHFA consulted with the Edmonton Police Service, and they advised that due to the threats, increased security would be necessary if the decision was to have the Russian pavilion participate in the festival."
The board noted it had also received several public requests from both Ukrainian groups and individuals to exclude Russia from the festival as well.