Britain is failing to defend artistic freedom of expression, the exiled leaders of an underground theatre movement in Belarus will warn MPs today.
Natalia Koliada and husband Nikolai Khalezin, of Belarus Free Theatre, argue the UK appears willing to allow the right to protest to override free speech — silencing provocative work.
They cite cases such as the Barbican’s Exhibit B show, which was closed down last September after protesters objected to its use of chained black actors in cages in its exploration of slavery.
Today they will take part in a debate about free expression at Speaker’s House in Westminster. Ms Koliada said: “It seems that in the UK the right to protest is more powerful than the right to artistic freedom of expression.”
She highlighted the US, where The Death Of Klinghoffer, John Adams’s opera about the killing of a Jewish man by Palestinian terrorists, went ahead despite claims it was anti-Semitic.
“The First Amendment [of the US Constitution, guaranteeing free speech] meant police were well schooled in supporting the right to freedom of expression and did what was necessary to keep it open,” she said. “It is important that we know people in our new home are valuing their right to express challenging ideas and to protest — both are denied us where we come from.
“But in the UK there is no guidance for policing these complex situations. As a result [people] tend to shut things down rather than let them run.” The debate will feature deputy mayor Mun-ira Mirza, civil rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti, Met police commander Colin Morgan, and Michael Attenborough, ex-boss of the Almeida theatre.
Ms Koliada, 41, Mr Khalezin, 51, and Vladimir Shcherban formed Belarus Free Theatre in 2005, in response to President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on free expression and political opposition. The founders were eventually forced to flee.
