Sir, – As the instigator of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Irish Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel (which currently has 1,403 signatories from all artistic disciplines), I am deeply troubled by the Dublin International Piano Competition’s move to ban Russian competitors (News, March 11th).
The rationale behind cultural boycott is to target states, not individuals. If any of the Russian pianists affected by this ban is openly sponsored by the Russian government, then they are subject to boycott. If any one of them has taken a public position supportive of Putin’s aggression against Ukraine, then he or she is more than likely subject to boycott. Nothing in your report suggests that either of these criteria applies.
I appeal to the Dublin International Piano Competition to reconsider this unwise decision, which smacks of mere vindictiveness. Lest anyone think I have some kind of brief for Putin, let me point out that in 2013 I withdrew one of my compositions – possibly the first performance of any of my works to have been scheduled in Russia – from a Moscow festival, in protest against the introduction of homophobic legislation by Putin’s government.
– Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Composer member
of Aosdána,
Dublin 1.