Scooter performance in Crimea. The German musical group “Scooter” will perform in Crimea. “How Much Is the Fish?”: Legends from Germany will “light up” in Balaclava
MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. German musical group Scooter intends to perform at the #ZBFest festival in Sevastopol on August 4, despite criticism from politicians in Germany and threats from the Ukrainian authorities. The attacks on the musicians were reported on Thursday by the German newspaper Bild.
At the end of May, the festival organizer announced that Scooter would come to #ZBFest, which was timed to coincide with International Champagne Day. Garik Sukachev and Brigada S, Sergei Galanin and the SerGa group, Sergei Shnurov with the Leningrad group, Dima Bilan, the Degrees group and other artists will also perform at the festival site in Balaklava on August 4 and 5. In the summer of 2016, a festival whose goal is to popularize Crimea as a fashionable tourist destination, a center of cultural, gastronomic and social life, brought together 15 thousand guests.
Criticism at home
The appearance of Scooter at this year's festival was opposed by some European politicians. In particular, Member of the European Parliament from the German Union 90/Greens party Rebecca Harms, who took an active part in the events on the Kiev Maidan in 2014, sharply criticized the musicians’ plans in an interview with the newspaper.
“The Scooter group doesn’t care that Crimea is illegally occupied by Russian troops,” she believes. Kharms is sure that the musicians should be ashamed of their irresponsibility, since the Russian authorities “made Crimea the largest military base on the Black Sea.” “Speaking only in the interests of your own fans is completely unsuitable,” the deputy added.
Threats from Kyiv
Commenting on the plans of the German artists, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yevgeny Enin told the publication that the group faces a prison sentence for visiting Crimea, which Kyiv continues to consider its territory, without special permission. “Violation of the law is punishable by up to eight years in prison,” he said. The deputy head of the department added that similar cases have already been initiated “against several foreigners.”
According to the newspaper, another Ukrainian law suggests that concert activities Only Ukrainian companies can operate in Crimea. Thus, Scooter risks violating several norms of Ukrainian legislation at once, the newspaper notes.
At the same time, the musicians themselves confirmed to the publication that they intend to get to Sevastopol through Moscow.
Group response
Scooter is one of the most successful musical groups in Germany. Her recordings have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Most of the band's songs are created in the genre of electronic dance music in English.
With "Brigade S". Scooter's set, which began around midnight, lasted about an hour and a half. The group performed all their obligatory hits, accompanying them with a spectacular multimedia show, reports.
Before the band members appeared, spotlights lit up on the stage, and an image of lightning appeared on the impressive screen. After this, Scooter frontman H.P. Baxter took the stage to fireworks and a welcoming ovation from festival guests. The concert opened with the traditional “Ten Seconds Before Sunrise” - the band has started every concert with it for many years.
“Good evening, Balaklava! Are you ready? (Good evening, Balakalava! Are you ready?),” H.P. Baxter greeted the audience after performing the opening composition. The crowd responded with enthusiastic screams and whistles. "Thank you!" - Baxter replied in slightly broken Russian.
The hour and a half set list included all the hits that fans of Scooter loved - “Bora! Bora! Bora!", "Weekend!", "Mary Got No Lamb", "How Much Is the Fish?" and "Habanera".
At the climax of the show, fireworks were displayed on stage, which delighted the audience. The audience actively sang along with HR Baxter, danced and took memorable photos and videos. In between songs, the frontman addressed the #ZBFest guests with words of gratitude - again, in Russian. The audience responded to him with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Having played the main part of the program, the musicians left the #ZBFest stage, but the audience immediately began to demand an encore from them. Finally, the members of Scooter appeared on stage again, H.P. Baxter took up the guitar, after which the group performed one of their most famous compositions, “Fire.” As a farewell, the band played another equally popular song - “Move Your Ass”.
“Thank you, Crimea! See you next time! (See you next time!),” Baxter shouted at the finale to the final volleys of fireworks and applause from the audience. He introduced the band members, after which the musicians left the stage - this time for good.
The group performed at #ZBFest despite “threats” from Kyiv. In June, the German publication Bild reported attacks against Scooter in connection with a planned performance in Crimea. As the newspaper noted, German politicians and Ukrainian media criticized the musicians for their decision to “give a concert in occupied territory.”
It also became known yesterday that all members of Scooter were blacklisted by the notorious Ukrainian website “Peacemaker”. The reason for their inclusion in the database was their visit to Crimea.
“All four German violators have been identified and taken to purgatory,” says a message on the portal’s Facebook page.
Today information has emerged that the Scooter group, according to the laws of Ukraine, faces up to eight years in prison.
Tatyana Tikhonchik, press secretary of the prosecutor's office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is located in Kyiv, spoke about this, Crimea.Realii reports.
According to her statement, the members of the team were included in Single register pre-trial investigations at the request of Rada deputy Dmitry Belotserkovets.
Tikhonchik explained that the Scooter group violated the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.
As the press secretary emphasized, the musicians are charged with Art. 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation by foreigners of the procedure for entering and exiting the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine).
According to the representative of the department, it will send requests to the competent authorities of Germany for the provision of international legal assistance in order to interrogate the group members.
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that Scooter has a concert scheduled for October 15 in Kyiv. Scooter vocalist H.P. Baxter and band manager Jens Tele expressed bewilderment at this situation.
“We are going to Crimea not to engage in politics, but because our fans live there. We have something to show them,” said the musician.
“We didn’t even know we were getting into political conflict. Our music is completely apolitical, and we want to stay away from political issues,” said band manager Jens Tele. “We’ve been going to Ukraine and Russia since 1995, and we have a lot of fans there who are looking forward to Scooter.”
Scooter is one of the most famous German bands; the band was formed in 1993. Scooter's creativity is characterized by a diverse palette of genres electronic music: compositions in the style of happy hardcore, techno and disco interspersed with electro, drum and bass and trance. The band's latest album, “Ace,” was released in 2016.
#ZBFest was established by the Zolotaya Balka company in honor of International Day champagne. The festival will be held in Crimea for the second time; last year its audience was about 15 thousand people. This time the festival is two-day, the organizers expect about 40 thousand visitors.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andrey Melnik said that he would try to persuade the German group Scooter to cancel their performance in Crimea.
“Today is a particularly delicate diplomatic mission in Hamburg: a meeting with the manager of the Scooter group to abandon the adventure in Crimea,” the politician wrote on his Twitter.
As the correspondent of the portal “” reports, Scooter plans to perform in Balaklava on August 4 at the #ZBFest festival. Participants will also include the groups “Leningrad”, “SerGa”, “Brigada S”, “Gradusy” and singer Dima Bilan. In the summer of 2016, the festival, whose goal is to popularize Crimea as a fashionable tourist destination, a center of cultural, gastronomic and social life, attracted 15 thousand guests.
Earlier, the German tabloid Bild, citing representatives of Ukrainian justice, reported that musicians could face up to eight years in prison for a concert in Sevastopol in Ukraine. At the same time, in the announcement on the Scooter website next to the name of the city of Balaklava, the country is not indicated. As the group manager emphasized, this was done intentionally so as not to “inflame the discussions.”
The appearance of Scooter at this year's festival was opposed by some European politicians. In particular, Member of the European Parliament from the German Union 90/Greens party Rebecca Harms, who took an active part in the events on the Kiev Maidan in 2014, sharply criticized the musicians’ plans in an interview with the newspaper.
“The Scooter group doesn’t care that Crimea is illegally occupied by Russian troops,” she said. Kharms is sure that the musicians should be ashamed of their irresponsibility, since the Russian authorities “made Crimea the largest military base on the Black Sea.”
“Speaking only in the interests of your own fans is completely unsuitable,” the deputy added.
Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yevgeny Enin told reporters that, according to Ukrainian legislation, “foreigners can visit temporarily occupied territories only with special permission,” and they must enter and leave Crimea only from the mainland of Ukraine. Violation of this is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 1 to 8 years, “depending on the circumstances.”
In turn, the manager musical group reported that the group's leader, HR Baxter, and his colleagues would fly to Crimea by plane via Moscow. German journalists note that the musicians are unlikely to face prison, but they do face fines.
“We are going to Crimea not to engage in politics, but because there are many of our fans there. We have something to offer them,” said group leader HP Baxter.
The press service of Simferopol International Airport posted a message about this on its Facebook page, accompanied by photographs of the musicians.
HR Group Leader Baxter, speaking to reporters in the VIP lounge of the airport, he did not hide good mood. As the musician said, the flight from France, where the band had previously performed, went well.
Instead of bread and salt, Baxter was offered to try red mullet. The offering in the form of fish amused the artist, but he refused to try it.
“How Much Is the Fish?”: Legends from Germany will “light up” in Balaclava
Scooter will perform at the ZBfest festival, which will take place on August 4-5 in Balaclava. In addition to the German group, the festival will also feature: Garik Sukachev, groups “SerGa” and “Degrees”, Dima Bilan, and Sergei Shnurov with his group "Leningrad".
The electronic dance music group Scooter was founded in 1993.
Scooter is one of the most successful musical groups in German history. Total sales of the group's albums and singles exceed 30 million copies. The group has been awarded more than 80 gold and platinum records (albums and singles). According to MTV-Russia viewers in 1998, they were recognized as “ best group world", and the composition How Much Is the Fish? to this day is business card team.
In 2010, the group's composition Stuck On Replay became the official anthem of the Ice Hockey World Championship, which was held in Germany.
Despite the fact that the group is approaching its twenty-fifth anniversary, and the composition of the team has changed several times, Scooter remains operational. 19 is scheduled for release on August 25, 2017 studio album a band called Scooter Forever.
Ukraine threatened Scooter with prison
The musicians' performance at the festival in Crimea attracted additional attention due to threats against the artists from the Ukrainian authorities.
Mid June 2017 Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Evgeniy Enin in an interview with the German publication Bild, he threatened the members of the Scooter group with eight years in prison for performing in Crimea.
The prosecutor said that such punishment could be applied to artists if they perform on the peninsula without permission from Ukraine and enter there from a place other than Ukrainian territory.
Secretary of the Committee on Issues national security and defense of the Verkhovna Rada Ivan Vinnik was less harsh. “The Scooter group, if it enters Crimea, for example, through Moscow, the territory of Russia, and not through Ukraine, will no longer be allowed into the territory of Ukraine. They will be prohibited from entry,” he said in an interview with the radio station “Moscow Speaks”.
At the same time, Vinnik proposed a compromise: the musicians receive permission and enter the peninsula from the territory of Ukraine.
“We have been traveling to Ukraine and Russia since 1995”
Then I joined the process Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andrey Melnyk. On June 27, he wrote on his Twitter page: “Today is a particularly delicate diplomatic mission in Hamburg: a meeting with the manager of the Scooter group to dissuade them from the adventure in Crimea.”
Musicians were also under pressure in Germany. Rebecca Harms, Green Party representative in the European Parliament, stated: “The Scooter group does not seem to care that Crimea was illegally occupied by Russian troops, and that by performing there they are taking sides Putin».
HP Baxter did not hide his surprise at the fuss: “We are going to Crimea not to engage in politics, but because our fans live there. We have something to show them."
Band producer Jens Tele explained Bild: “We didn’t even know that we were getting involved in a political conflict. Our music is completely apolitical and we want to stay away from political issues. We have been traveling to Ukraine and Russia since 1995. We have a lot of fans there who are looking forward to Scooter."
The musicians followed the principle
The question of whether the group will perform in Crimea is up in the air. This topic split even German Scooter fans. In addition, the band has a concert planned in Kyiv in October. The likelihood of it happening after the performance in Crimea tends to zero.
Many believed that under such powerful pressure the musicians would prefer not to further inflame passions and cancel their performance at the festival in Balaklava.
But the Scooter musicians followed the principle, and thousands of fans will see the concert in Crimea. Among them, by the way, there will be many Ukrainians who came to Balaklava for the sake of their pets.
And politicians sometimes need to slow down and relax. For example, to the fiery tracks of Scooter.
“It’s incomprehensible: the group is going to perform in Balaklava, a small town on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia,” is how the German tabloid Bild formulated its bewilderment about the planned performance in Crimea of one of the most famous German bands performing electronic music. dance music. Scooter is, as follows from the ZBFest -2017 program, the only foreign performer on music festival. In addition to the German group, the following artists are indicated on the poster: Russian stage, like Serga, Brigada S, Dima Bilan, Degrees, L "One and the Leningrad group. Festival under open air"Golden Balka" is held from August 4 to 5 in a valley with vineyards located between the village of Balaklava on the southwestern coast of Crimea and Sevastopol. Scooter's performance is scheduled for August 4th.
Eight years for illegal visit
The popular German tabloid's bewilderment in connection with the planned performance of the German band Scooter in Crimea is due to the fact that the Crimean peninsula is considered, according to a United Nations resolution, to be Ukrainian territory, illegally annexed by Russia. The UN resolution of March 27, 2014 reaffirms the territorial integrity of Ukraine and calls for refraining from any actions or contacts that directly or indirectly recognize the change in the status of Crimea. Ukrainian law allows foreigners to enter “temporarily occupied territories” only with special permission and only through the mainland of Ukraine.
Scooter musicians, according to the Bild newspaper, citing the group's management, are flying to Crimea via Moscow in August, thus violating Ukrainian law. The German newspaper quotes in this regard the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yevgeny Enin, who explained that such an offense is punishable by imprisonment for up to eight years and that Ukraine is already investigating foreigners who illegally visited Crimea.
German politician Rebecca Harms, representing the Green Party in the European Parliament and leading active work for the protection of rights Crimean Tatars, commented with indignation on the news of Scooter’s plans. The group, as she told Bild, “apparently does not care that Crimea was illegally seized by Russian troops” and that the musicians, by agreeing to perform in Crimea, are “taking Putin’s side.”
Context
Scooter said yes, Levina would have thought
The scale of the resonance in Germany for the Crimean Scooter tour came as a complete surprise to the musicians and the band’s management. Bild quotes vocalist H.P. Baxxter, who assured that the musicians are going to Crimea “not to engage in politics, but because they have many fans there.” Manager Jens Thele also said that none of the organizers of the trip could have imagined that it could lead them into a political conflict.
Surprising in words, in reality the situation is somewhat different. Scooter's upcoming summer performances include: official page The festival in Crimea is not listed on Facebook. The performance in Balaklava appears on the group’s official website, but without specifying in which country this is located locality, although all other foreign tours on the list follow with the city and country of the concert.
It is unlikely that the Scooter musicians have not heard anything about the tense relations between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the West’s position regarding the annexation of Crimea. Of the recent scandals provoked by the current controversial status of the peninsula, the loudest occurred at Eurovision, when Ukraine refused entry to a Russian participant who had previously visited Crimea, having entered its territory from Russia. And Russia in response refused to broadcast the European singing competition.
Even if H.P. Baxter and his manager had never heard of Yulia Samoilova, they might have assumed that their attempt to appear apolitical in a highly politically charged context would seem unconvincing. Representative of Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev Levina, for example, when asked by DW whether she would go to Crimea for the festival, answered that first she would think carefully about it and weigh all the pros and cons.
"Naive Illusion"
Now 53-year-old H.P. Baxter, who claims that Scooter does not mix culture and politics, obviously simply does not want to adequately assess reality.
In any case, foreign policy expert of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag Karl-Georg Wellmann considers such a vision of reality a “naive illusion.”
In an interview with DW, the politician, in particular, said: “The group is creating unnecessary difficulties for themselves by opposing themselves to the unified position of the West regarding Crimea. Of course, their performance will be used for propaganda purposes. Musicians must realize that they are thus not helping any Ukrainians , nor to the people who live in Crimea."
See also:
-
Capture operation
Brave Putin on graffiti and posters, as well as Russian flags instead of Ukrainian ones appeared in Crimea after February 27, 2014, when people in military uniform without insignia they occupied the buildings of the Council of Ministers and Supreme Council in Simferopol, and then key facilities and Ukrainian military units. The Russian operation to seize the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is part of Ukraine, took place in just a few days.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Under the control of the Russian military
The illegitimate referendum on March 16, 2014 changed the lives of Crimeans. Despite the protests, bypassing the Constitution of Ukraine, the issue of changing the status of Crimea was put to a vote. The new authorities called the transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954 illegal and signed an agreement on joining the Russian Federation. The majority of Crimean residents rejoiced, and repression fell on the protesters.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Crimean Tatars are outlaws
The Crimean Tatars suffered the most from the annexation of Crimea. The repressions affected everyone who considers Russia’s actions illegal. In 2016, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people was recognized as an extremist organization. Its leaders are being persecuted; searches and arrests in Tatar homes do not stop. This was the case in 1944, when they were deported from the peninsula as enemies of the people by the Soviet NKVD.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
“Is it possible to breathe in Crimea?”
Instead of Ukrainian TV channels, which have been switched off in Crimea since the spring of 2014, Russian analogue television operates. The independent channel of the Crimean Tatars ATR, which advocated for the integrity of Ukraine, now broadcasts from Kyiv, since its activities are prohibited on the peninsula. Other Crimean media were also banned - “15 minutes”, “Lâle”, “Crimea. Realities”. “Is it possible to breathe in Crimea?” local journalists ask.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
How to legally get to Crimea
Kyiv does not recognize uncontrolled entry into annexed Crimea from Russia. Foreigners must first enter the territory of Ukraine and only then proceed to the peninsula, otherwise they may end up in Ukrainian lists prohibited from entry. You can get to Crimea through a checkpoint on the administrative border with mainland Ukraine - on foot or by car; there is no other transport here. Travel and passage are free for Ukrainians.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Sanctions for annexation
The European Union and the United States, which have not recognized the annexation of Crimea, do not recommend their companies to acquire businesses, real estate or trade with the peninsula. And Crimean enterprises cannot sell their products to the EU and America. Because of the sanctions, Crimeans’ Visa and MasterCard cards do not work and loans have become more expensive, because large Russian banks are in no hurry to come to Crimea.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
The promised one has been waiting for three years
Those who voted for Crimea as part of Russia expect Putin to fulfill his promises: the construction of the Kerch bridge, a gas pipeline, power plants and solutions social problems. In the meantime, the incomes of Crimean residents do not keep pace with rising prices and the increase in the cost of communal services. But information about those dissatisfied with the standard of living and local protests appears only on social networks and independent media.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Bridge from Putin's friend
The construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait, which will connect the mainland of the Russian Federation and Crimea, is being carried out in emergency mode. The construction contract worth 228 billion rubles was awarded to the Stroygazmontazh company of Arkady Rotenberg, a Russian oligarch and friend of Putin. It is planned to build 4 vehicle lanes by December 2018, and 2 lanes by December 2019 railway and access roads to them.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Black redistribution
Over the past 3 years, small businesses in Crimea have suffered greatly from the redistribution of property in favor of Russian businessmen. According to the website "Crimea. Realities", the number of small enterprises in 2016 compared to 2014 decreased from 15 to 1 thousand. Problems may arise for owners of land plots and houses in the coastal zone. They will lose their land if Crimean courts do not recognize documents issued before the annexation of the peninsula.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
Tourist business suffers losses
During the season, all beaches in Crimea are open; Russia has allowed the import of products from Ukraine here. Residents working in the service infrastructure hope that life will return to normal. But the flow of tourists has decreased by almost a third over 3 years. Railroad connections have been interrupted, and flying on vacation without much comfort is expensive. Due to EU sanctions, cruise ships with foreigners do not enter the ports of Crimea.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
The gold of the Crimean Scythians will move to Kyiv
The treasures of local museums - hundreds of gold jewelry and weapons - will not return to Crimea. In December 2016, a court in the Netherlands decided to transfer this unique collection of 550 artifacts, which traveled to exhibitions in Europe during the days of the annexation of Crimea. The court ruling stated that further fate exhibits of the exhibition "Crimea. Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" will be decided by a Ukrainian court.
Crimea 3 years after Russian annexation
With Russian passport
Since the annexation of Crimea local residents can buy SIM cards for mobile phones only with a Russian passport. But with a document issued on the peninsula, they do not issue a visa at the embassies of the EU countries and the USA. The winners were Crimean pensioners who received Russian passports. Their pension has increased to the Russian level, and the retirement age for women has decreased from 60 to 55 years.
