Organizers of the Russian pavilion say being excluded from the Edmonton Heritage Festival this year is a human rights violation.
“Banning individuals from participating in a cultural event based on their ancestry or place of origin should be considered a violation of human rights,” said the Russian Heritage Cultural Development Association (RHCDA) in a letter to the Alberta Human Rights Commission on July 21.
RHCDA was referring to the decision of the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association (EHFA) in early July, in which the EHFA said the Russian pavilion will not be part of the festival due to “safety concerns” stemming from the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine….