Tallinn petition against Russian singer’s concert draws 5 000 signatures

Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov reacts next to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after having been decorated with the Order of Honor during an awarding ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia November 15, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/SCANPIX
A petition calling on Tallinn municipality to ban a large-scale concert by Russian pop star Philipp Kirkorov has proved to be popular among Tallinners, who have noticed that the singer is a persona non grata in Lithuania over his support to the annexation of Crimea, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports.
Published on March 23 at the web site Rahvaalgatus.ee and submitted by the NGO EstYou and Anne-May Nagel the petition has been signed by 5 856 people by the afternoon of Monday, March 28.
«We stand firmly for Kirkorov not to be allowed to perform in the Estonian capital. Tallinn city government must ban the event due to the artist’s public comments supporting Russian aggression that started already in 2014,» commented Anne-May Nagel.
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«We would like to draw attention to the fact that Philipp Kirkorov is a citizen of the Russian Federation and a public figure who has expressed his support for the incorporation of the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine into the Russian Federation. As a result, he has also been banned by the Republic of Lithuania from entering the country since 19 January 2021, and Ukraine has included Phillip Kirkorov on the list of persons threatening national security since 22 June 2021,» the ERR quoted the petition’s text.
A concert by Kirkorov is also planned in an arena in Riga, Latvia on May 25.