The team at wiwibloggs.com just saw something really scary. It was not a man dressed up as an axe murderer for Halloween. Instead it was Artsyom Kirashou, the conservative Belarusian who is behind the petition for Belarus to edit Conchita Wurst out of its Eurovision broadcast.
As you’ll recall, wiwibloggs.com was the first English-language site to report the news. We speculated that “a handful of nutters in the countryside” had signed the petition, which is currently sitting with the country’s Ministry of Information. According to Radio Free Europe, the “handful” is actually 2,000 people.
Kirashou, who says the sight of Conchita makes him “ill”, says he is speaking out for two reasons.
“If we open the doors to everything that they’re trying to push on us, it’s hard to imagine what can happen,” Kirashou told the radio station. “So, first and foremost, I’m doing it for our children, who haven’t yet developed their personalities and who are very sensitive about the world around them. Secondly, [for] the Belarusian people who live in accordance with Orthodox Christian laws.”
He also views Conchita’s performance as “an attempt to impose Western, European values on us, so that we accept them as normal.” Kirashou really isn’t feeling it. “Frankly speaking, I’m a conservative man and I don’t think we need any of this.”
Eurovision is meant to bring Europe together, and we applaud Conchita for highlighting the problems that face sexual minorities. We will be happy to unplug Kirashou’s television for him. If he isn’t interested in European values, then he shouldn’t watch Eurovision.
To read more of our coverage of Conchita Wurst click here.
Willy Lee Adams contributed this report from London. Follow him on Twitter @willyleeadams. You can also keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following wiwibloggs.com on Twitter and Facebook.
What a freak
Artsyom knows exactly how I feel about Tallafonia, The Only Way is Essex and Geordie Shore.
And all this from an ugly man with a mullet that looks like a woman to me! Stay where you are and enjoy your medieval “values” , you prat !
Being from Serbia, another country from eastern Europe, I have heard many times ignorant people saying “western countries are imposing their immoral values on our children and endangering our healthy society”. Well, for a start, no one is forcing Belarus to take part in Eurovision. It is the broadcaster’s choice. Next, in the same way Belarus would not be happy about others demanding to change their Eurovision entry, I strongly doubt Austrians and ORF are happy about this ridiculous demand (btw, they did not do such think when Ukraine sent Verka in 2007). As for the “healthy society and protection… Read more »
Wow! What a disgusting guy! He has long hair, he is… a woman? Omg, he has children and a woman, can lesbians adoubt there???
*How belarusians would think if he was from West Europe*
They still live in 18th century…
It’s ok to have differing views, but you can’t be intolerant. I don’t know why anyone would support this mans beliefs, because he feels Eurovision has “outlived itself” and we are ALL here to SUPPORT Eurovision!!!! And supporting Eurovision means supporting Conchita, this is not about sex or anything “disgusting.” It’s about identity and expression, and anyone who things otherwise is misread and uneducated.
Pero que se cree la tv bielorrusa,el ombligo del mundo pues no,es un pais de la ex Rusia comunista,que lleva poco tiempo concursando en esc como para imponer su criterio.Le recomiendo que tome ejemplo de Turkia y haga un Bielorrusiavision,con sus cantantes rubias tan guapas y poco artistas en escena y nos deje a la Europa menos conservadora nuestro esc en paz, eso paz para nuestro esc,ya lo cantaba Nicole por los años 80.Paz y esperanza al gran señor ruego y anhelo que bielorrusia se calle su boca sobre este tema.
This guys hair says it all. Stuck in a different era altogother, bless him.
https://www.google.at/search?q=vokuhila&espv=210&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=PZxzUu6nFLLP4QSvyoCIAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1175&bih=654
Say you don’t like, say you disagree with it, say you have different values – all ok. Whining like a petty grown-ass baby and claiming values are being imposed on you by a contestant of a show is ridiculous. Letting every country chose whomever they wish to enter (either by public vote or broadcaster-vote) and abiding by the rules is not forcing anything on tho anyone, let’s get real about that please. Let russian minorities tell you a little story about what it really means when different values are being imposed on to you by force…
Whatevs, I’m totally over this guy. What’s he trying to achieve? Censor entries his bigoted mind doesn’t like? It’s totally ok to have an opinion and to be outspoken about it. However, that doesn’t give you the right to go around censoring stuff according to your personal likings. It’s called freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of life. Grow some balls, if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Easy enough. Jeeez.
I know that it is not authentically Austrian but this fierce debate brought me to listening to Edelweiss song. So much is build in the debate that both sides may end up disappointed. Conchita’s act or non act is not the beginning nor the end of the world.
SOPON, Nathalie: No one is saying this man does not have an opinion. We are just saying we disagree with bigotry and intolerance. You are apologists for hate.
@Sam "Sopon" It is one thing to be tolerant of people who are different than you. It is totally different to be tolerant of intolerance. The latter is unacceptable. There are LIMITS to free speech
@Nathalie: Covering Eurovision news on a Eurovision blog makes a lot of sense to me. I suppose Radio Free Europe is also evil and a problem? This man is a homophobe. There is no place for hate at Eurovision.
he’s a fucking homophobe………i mean everyone has the right to be gay and this guy right here is …uggghhh,just makes me ill.Dude if your’re reading this,let me just say that some people are Gay,get over it
This blog is a bigger problem than this totally unknown man.
I’ve seen shitty posts like this before, and you really know how to be assholes.
This guy has his own opinion. He’s right and he’s wrong at the same time. It is all a huge propaganda and it’s about politics, but if somebody’s gay, you can’t change that, you can either keep on living your life normally or spend your time criticizing something you can’t understand, which is a waste of time by the way.
I just want to note that your site preaches for tolerance of all people, yet spit on those who have opinions different of yours. Some people are not comfortable with this, and they need to be respected just as much as the LGBT community must be respected. This man criticizes Conchita for living a lifestyle that doesn’t match his beliefs, and you do the same to him. At least he recognizes that he isn’t tolerant of some people, unlike you. Be the bigger man, Wiwibloggs.
Thank you for this information. It is well known that Radio Free Europe is an American propaganda station. They were the least affected by the financial cuts recently in the United States. Thus, this man could be an agent with the task to destroy Europe. Last year they tried with support of Sweden with a Teddy Bear action, but the campaign fizzled …
Firstly he is ugly as sin..
Secondly I love when he talks about values in belarus and Russia as if either country has any ..
An then to talk about politics when belarus is one of the top political motivated voters .. This is a joke .. He is 100% troll
If it’s only about politics, he should examine how his country votes on an annual basis and he may wonder what Anastasia Vinnikova was singing about – if that wasn’t political, I am not sure what is!
And personally, I was not psychologically ready (to quote him) for Alyona Lanskaya to jump out of that mirror ball singing a crap song this year, but we had to endure it nonetheless.
And the guy complaining here can hardly make claim to being a manly man himself – he has very feminine skin with something of a fat girlish disposition.