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Russians Protest Covid Restrictions By Kissing On Metro

Russians Protest Covid Restrictions By Kissing On Metro

They locked lips on the Yekaterinburg Metro in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on 24 December

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Dozens of Russian couples staged a snogging protest on a packed metro, as a public way of expressing their frustration over Covid-19 restrictions.

They locked lips on the Yekaterinburg Metro in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on 24 December, with protestors saying they were standing up for the music and nightclub industry - as people are currently banned from visiting such venues, despite the metro being packed each day.

They told news site Life: "Musicians are speaking out against unreasonable Covid-19 restrictions because the virus is considered a higher risk at concerts and in restaurants after 11pm than on a crowded subway during rush hour."

The group explained how they wanted to highlight how illogical it is to ban people from nightclubs and attending evening shows, especially when the underground is full of people travelling every day - also claiming there was a higher chance of infection.

@te_ekb/Newsflash

They said they did not plan to disrupt any public services, or to insult anyone's feelings.

The participants also added that the footage of them snogging coincided with the release of a new song called 'Let's Kiss', which is by the band Pinkglasses.

It is unclear whether or not the local authorities are planning to take action against the pandemic protesters.

@te_ekb/Newsflash

The music and nightlife sector is also struggling in many other parts of the world, too - with the UK music industry set to halve in size this year due to the pandemic.

UK Music revealed the industry grew by 11 percent last year to be worth £5.8 billion to the UK economy, but the organisation's annual Music By Numbers report showed just how dire things are now looking.

Published last month, the report said the music industry's contribution to the UK economy is likely to plummet to around £3 billion this year.

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, Chief Executive of UK Music, said: "Our music industry is a key national asset.

"As this report shows, it contributes £5.8bn a year to the economy, generates £2.9bn in exports and supports almost 200,000 jobs. The UK music industry was a vibrant, fast-growing and commercially successful sector before the pandemic hit."

Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Digital and Culture, said: "We know what an immensely tough year 2020 has been for the music industry as a result of Covid-19.

"That is why the government stepped in with an unprecedented £1.57bn culture recovery fund to help the sector weather the impact of coronavirus and protect music venues, festivals and our vital cultural assets."

Featured Image Credit: @te_ekb/Newsflash

Topics: World News, News, Coronavirus, Russia, Protest