Concert of Polish legendary band Lombard banned in Hrodna

The Hrodna authorities banned a concert of the Polish group Lombard, which was to be held this weekend.

The event was banned only a few days before the concert. The authorities of Hrodna permitted the concert of Lombard but only on a condition that Russian and Belarusian musicians would play, too. When the consent of the Polish group was received, the authorities changed their decision, Radio Racyja reports.

According to Ihar Bantsar, the director of the Hrodna rock club, the inconsistency of the local authorities came as a surprise.

“Lombard is a legendary Polish band that promotes the ideas of Solidarity movement, which struggled against communism. It turns out that the group is not welcomed in today’s Belarus, because their music is too radical for our authorities. Rock ’n’ roll has always been music of resistance, and Lombard is one of the brightest representatives of the Polish rock music. This was the reason for canceling the concert. Perhaps, it is more interesting for the authorities to have concerts of Russian pop singers, as they are not dangerous,” he said.

The concert of Lombard was cancelled by the Hrodna authorities after the Polish musicians said their show would be dedicated to the 10th year anniversary of the work of the Union of Poles, the organisation that hasn’t been recognised by the Belarusian authorities. Lombard already played in Hrodna two times – in 1988 and in May 2008 at the invitation of then head of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andzelika Boris.