The Alexandrov Ensemble, one of Russia's official military choirs, complete with its own dance ensemble, is scheduled to conduct a tour of 13 Polish cities beginning next month.
Now, a group of Polish Facebook users has launched an initiative demanding that the ensemble cancel all its performances in the country, threatening that they will disrupt the concerts in any way they can should the artists decide to perform. The activists condemn the choir, which they say performs "for Putin" and, in their words, creates an inappropriate mix of culture and politics.
In their appeal, the activists recalled the successes of several earlier internet campaigns to stop Russians from moving about the country. These included the cancelation of the Russian ambassador's address at Krakow's Jagiellonian University in March, and an initiative to stop a Russian motorcycle club from driving through Poland on their way to Berlin to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. Inspired by past successes, the Facebook appeal suggests that "we can handle the Alexandrov Ensemble, too. Let's get to work!"
The activists, numbering about 1,300 so far, have already gathered the sympathy of some high profile politicians and social figures, including Law and Justice MP Malgorzata Gosiewska, who told Polish Radio that she wholeheartedly supports the initiative.
"I highly value democracy, peace and the right of people to independently choose their own path of development. I cannot agree to performances by a choir which celebrates the aggressor country and its army," Gosiewska declared.