A Dutch college is to display the controversial documentary "Russians at Battle" and a panel dialogue with its director, regardless of Ukrainian requires or not it’s be canceled as a result of it "whitewashes… homicide, rape, and torture."
Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova's documentary has been criticized for what many understand as an try to whitewash Russian troopers concerned in Russia's warfare in opposition to Ukraine, sparking protests in opposition to its previous screenings in Canada and Australia.
Leiden College within the Hague will display the movie on March 26 as a part of its Hearth Peace Chats, an initiative of a Leiden College School employees member in collaboration with "a number of exterior companions."
It is going to be adopted by a panel dialogue with Trofimova and educational employees members.
Ukraine's Embassy within the Netherlands on March 25 printed an announcement calling for the screening to be canceled.
It stated the movie is "whitewashing Russian troopers and absolving them of duty for homicide, rape, torture, looting, pressured deportation of youngsters, and destruction of Ukrainian cities."
"'Russians at Battle' documentary is a bit of Russian outright propaganda that deliberately distorts the truth of the continued genocidal Russian warfare of aggression in opposition to Ukraine, thereby deceptive viewers and selling (the) poisonous narratives of (the) Kremlin," it added.
The Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) in October 2024 started investigating Trofimova, the movie's director, on costs of justifying and recognizing the legitimacy of Russia's aggression in opposition to Ukraine and illegally crossing Ukraine's internationally acknowledged borders when filming within the Russian-occupied territories.
Pupil teams who spoke to the Kyiv Impartial additionally expressed outrage on the screening, saying the movie "misrepresents the truth of Russia’s warfare in opposition to Ukraine, downplays Russian warfare crimes, and silences Ukrainian voices," and that the occasion ought to be canceled.
"We’re deeply outraged that Leiden College, a number one educational establishment within the Netherlands, is offering a platform (for the movie)," Anna Mamedova, a Leiden College alumna, and co-founder of the ABBA Pupil Affiliation, a gaggle that represents college students from Ukraine in addition to a number of Baltic and Japanese European nations.
Leiden College has to this point refused to cancel the occasion, arguing it’s a "a bastion of freedom" and "a fervent advocate of open, important debate the place completely different opinions and convictions are engaged with."
"It has chosen to miss the truth that this movie was produced in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories with out authorization, violating worldwide legislation."
"We select to interact with extraordinarily troublesome subjects moderately than closing our eyes, with the intention to higher perceive humanity and the world. We are going to present a important context to this movie, the place there’s room for debate, dialogue, and criticism," the college stated on March 25.
Mamedova stated the ABBA Organisation had contacted the college expressing its considerations.
"It has chosen to miss the truth that this movie was produced in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories with out authorization, violating worldwide legislation. It’s significantly shameful that this happens in The Hague — the Metropolis of Peace and Justice," Mamedova stated.
In response, the college acknowledged "the immense struggling" attributable to Russian aggression and warranted that it takes educational integrity severely, Mamedova stated.
ABBA is organizing a protest in response to the movie screening in entrance of the college constructing half-hour earlier than it begins and a fight casualty care workshop that includes Ukrainian fight medic Anastasia Mutsey, which may even happen at Leiden College on the time the screening begins.
Protests in opposition to the movie's screening had been held in a number of nations, together with Canada and Australia.
Earlier in her profession, Trofimova labored for Russia Right this moment (RT), a Kremlin-backed propaganda outlet.
The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan
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