Want to Gig in Lithuania? Sign an Anti-War Pledge First
Lithuania came up with the ultimate loyalty test for Russian performers: condemn the war on paper, or stay home.
For years, performers and athletes from Russia and Belarus loved pulling the classic 'culture is outside politics' routine while cashing European paychecks. Lithuanian diplomats just drafted a reality check that turns that excuse into dust.
The plan is brutal in its simplicity. Any visiting artist, athlete, or academic from those countries wanting to appear publicly in Lithuania must sign an official declaration condemning the aggression against Ukraine and endorsing its recognized borders. The kicker? The signed declarations will be published openly online.
Refuse to sign, and the border remains shut. Sign it, and the document is immediately viewable by fans, promoters, and state investigators back home, where that exact signature qualifies as a federal crime.
The 'art has no borders' crowd suddenly faces an exquisite dilemma between a concert hall in Vilnius and ten years in a penal colony.
Source: LRT
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