Valentina Lisitsa’s Biography, Net Worth, Fact, Career, Awards and Life Story
Lisitsa has received criticism for her opposition to the Ukrainian government and support of pro-Russian separatists since the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine and the ensuing armed conflict. In April 2015 the Toronto Symphony Orchestra cancelled concerts with Lisitsa citing her “provocative” online remarks on her Twitter account; the orchestra initially did not specify which tweets or other commentary it believed crossed a line. Later, on 8 April 2015, the CEO of Toronto Symphony, Jeff Melanson provided a PDF document of seven pages listing the most “offensive” tweets. Melanson alleged that the document would “help people understand why we made this decision, and understand as well how this is not a free speech issue, but rather an issue of someone practicing very intolerant and offensive expression through Twitter.”
In response, the Toronto Star newspaper criticized the orchestra’s decision in an editorial, noting that, “Lisitsa was not invited to Toronto to discuss her provocative political views. She was scheduled to play the piano. And second, banning a musician for expressing “opinions that some believe to be offensive” shows an utter failure to grasp the concept of free speech.” Lisitsa said that the orchestra threatened her if she spoke about the cancellation.
According to Paul Grod, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress: “Ms. Lisitsa has been engaged in a long campaign on social media belittling, insulting and disparaging the people of Ukraine as they face direct military aggression at the hands of the Russian Federation”. Grod elaborated that “Most disturbing are Ms. Lisitsa’s false allegations that the government of Ukraine is “Nazi”, and stating that the Government of Ukraine is setting up ‘filtration camps.'” The New Jersey-based Ukrainian Weekly has described her postings as “anti-Ukraine hate speech.” In response she commented that “satire and hyperbole [are] the best literary tools to combat the lies”.
On 22 June 2015, marking the 74th anniversary of the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, Lisitsa gave an open-air concert in Donetsk city in commemoration of the defenders, and in a speech she expressed support for the people living in Donbass region in their “anti-fascist war”.
In late August 2015, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines decided to remove Lisitsa’s recordings from the in-flight entertainment program following a complaint by a passenger named Inna Thorn, who was incensed by Lisitsa’s elation at the shooting down of MH17 Malaysian airliner over Eastern Ukraine
