The Italian artist Enzo Ghinazzi, better known by his stage name Pupo, was to perform in Lithuania in April but his recent concert in Moscow has elicited calls to cancel the event.
Pupo performed in the Kremlin last week, alongside Russian artists who are supporters of the government.
The singer has previously shown sympathies for Russia and was banned from entering Ukraine in 2022. Pupo recorded a song with Russian artists and performed it at a festival in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine back in 2014.
In late April, Pupo is scheduled to perform in Šiauliai, Lithuania’s fourth biggest town. However, there are now calls to cancel the concert.
The manager of Šiauliai Arena, where Pupo is due to perform, has avoided commenting on the situation. Meanwhile, the organisers say that unless Pupo is designated a persona non grata in Lithuania, they have no legal basis for violating the contract.
“When we asked him about his visit to that country [Russia], he said that he doesn’t talk about politics. His message is simple – doves of peace carrying the world. The Italian assured us that he went to Moscow for peace,” says Modestas Telksnys, the organiser of the concert. “We have a valid contract with the arena, with the performer, and we have no legal basis to cancel it.”
Earlier this month, Žalgiris Arena in Kaunas decided to cancel the performance by the American musician LP. The performer had posted a video thanking their Russian fans and wearing a hoody with a Russian flag.
Italian singer Pupo is not on the list of undesirable persons in Lithuania.
UPDATE. Šiauliai Arena announced on Tuesday that Pupo would not perform at the event.
“We have good news for all those who are not indifferent to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. We have just received an assurance from the event organiser Legacy Inn that Enzo Ghinazzi-Pupo, who performed in Kremlin a few days ago, will be replaced by another artist for the joint concert of the three bands in Šiauliai,” representatives of Šiauliai Arena said in a press release.
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