Latvia forbade the entrance of Okhlobystin

Latvia banned the entry of Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin, who was supposed to perform in the Riga House of Congresses on November 7. This was announced on his Twitter by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic, Edgar Rinkevich.

“I decided to declare an unwanted person in Latvia Ivan Okhlobystin, taking into account the speeches that are regarded as inciting ethnic hatred,” Rinkevich wrote.

Earlier, the Latvian Foreign Ministry entered the “black” list of people who are prohibited from entering the country, the names of Joseph Kobzon, Oleg Gazmanov and Alla Perfilova, known by Valery's stage pseudonym. This decision is due to the fact that the artists justified the annexation of Crimea "in aggressive form."

In December last year, during a speech in Novosibirsk, Okhlobystin spoke sharply against gays. In particular, he stated that "he would have been stuffed into the stove alive." These words caused a wide resonance in the media and blogosphere. The actor himself said that they "did not contain a call for violence" regarding gays, but simply expressed his personal opinion.