Protesters in Berlin denounce Russian soprano Netrebko's opera show

Protesters in Berlin are targeting the State Opera for allowing Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko to perform, despite her alleged failure to condemn Vladimir Putin for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The protesters chanted "shame" and accused Netrebko of not speaking out against the war. The decision to let her return to the stage has faced criticism from Berlin's mayor, the senator for culture, and Ukraine's German ambassador. Netrebko has stated that she criticized the war and had met Putin a few times. However, she had previously celebrated her birthday with a performance at the Kremlin and has been boycotted by opera houses in the US and Europe. A petition with 37,000 signatures demanded that Netrebko's role be given to someone else in the opera Macbeth, but she is scheduled for three more performances. The artistic director of the opera defended the decision, stating that artists should not be used as scapegoats. Berlin's mayor expressed his criticism of Netrebko's return and regretted her lack of clear condemnation of the war and Putin. The senator for culture attended a photo exhibition titled "Russian War Crimes" near the opera house, along with the Ukrainian ambassador who urged people not to ignore Russian war crimes. Netrebko was dropped by the Metropolitan Opera in New York for refusing to denounce Putin. She has previously endorsed Putin and donated money to an opera house in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk. However, she claims to have only met Putin a few times and denies receiving financial support from the Russian government. The Berlin State Opera had initially stated that Netrebko would not participate in a 2022 opera, but their position has since changed. The opera defended their decision, emphasizing the distinction between Netrebko's actions before and after the war, stating that she has not accepted any engagements in Russia since the outbreak of the conflict.