Organizers of Russian Pavilion Say Exclusion From Edmonton Heritage Festival a ‘Violation of Human Rights’

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.

“This decision of EHFA board is deeply disturbing,” said the letter, adding that Section 3(1) and Section 4 of the Alberta Human Rights Act were violated.

“By excluding individuals based on their ancestry or place of origin, the event organizers are perpetuating stereotypes, reinforcing divisions, and limiting the free expression of cultural identity.”

Threats

In its July 7 public statement, EHFA said the decision came after a “long consultative process” with both the Ukrainian and Russian pavilions ended in a stalemate.

“Following a long consultative process that culminated in a meeting with both pavilions together in the same meeting space last week, it became very clear to the EHFA that it was not possible for the two pavilions to come up with a solution together despite best efforts,” the EHFA board wrote at the time.

The board added it “received several threats” demanding the ban. Though it did not specify what the threats were and from whom, it said the Edmonton Police Service had advised that “increased security” was needed should the Russian pavilion be included in the annual August festival.

RHCDA said the Russian-Canadian community has been subjected to defamation, bullying, and threats from “certain group(s) in Edmonton” over the last two months.

“These group(s) actively pursued our expulsion from the Edmonton Heritage Festival and directly associated the Russian culture with war, describing Russian culture as ‘chauvinistic’, ‘militaristic’ and ‘repressive’, and finally sending direct threats to our community with statements that we will ‘remember this festival forever’ if we persist in our desire to be part of the Heritage Festival,” said the letter, addressed to the Alberta ombudsman, Edmonton city council, and the EHFA as well.

‘Clear’ Stance

On June 9, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress–Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC) requested the RHCDA make a “clear” stance on the Russian-Ukraine war.

“We are requesting the Russian pavilion make their stance about the war clear, and if they support Ukraine, to respectfully withdraw participation,” said the UCC-APC in a letter sent to politicians of federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

“Or alternatively, if they choose to participate, they must have clear signs that show they support Ukraine and agree to participate in a fundraiser for Ukraine.”

The UCC-APC said its concern was not directed toward the “Russian culture, language, food, or traditions,” but rather that the Russian pavilion “as an organization … has not taken any steps toward resolving this issue.”

Separating Politics From Culture

RHCDA said in its July 21 letter that it is not connected to the Russian government in any way.

“We have always stayed away from politics,” the letter said. “[A]nd we have never been supported by the Russian government in any way, as the other organization(s) persistently stated.”

The association said it wanted to separate politics from culture, but the Ukrainian pavilion “insisted that culture is inseparable from the government of the country it originates in.”

“We intentionally did not react overtly to the threats and provocations targeting us over the last two months to minimize tension within Canadian society and to avoid conflicts in the public space,” the letter added.

RHCDA said its main goal in participating in the heritage festival is to showcase Russian culture and traditions.

“We firmly believe that the phrase ‘promoting inclusion and limiting discrimination’ copied from the Heritage Festival website means a lot to Edmonton community and we hope that this kind of discrimination will not happen again in the future towards any ethnic and/or cultural community in the multicultural Canadian society,”

It also asked the human rights commission for advice on what to do next.

The EHFA did not comment by press time.