This Tuesday (1st), those who arrived at the event center in Barcelona that hosts the MWC (Mobile World Congress) were faced with a small group with blue and yellow flags calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Just under ten people were waiting at the entrance of the event with posters, standing, in a peaceful demonstration. One of the people offered a brooch with ribbons in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“Cut off Russia’s internet. No technology to invaders,” read one of the posters. Others called for a boycott of the country, remembered the deaths of civilians and placed a forbidden symbol over the logo of Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
The tone doesn’t change much from what you would see inside the MWC. Support for Ukraine and calls for an end to the war appeared in the speeches of top executives of large technology companies.
“The disconcerting events of the beginning of the 21st century, such as what is happening now in Ukraine, remind us that technology lacks values”, José María Álvarez-Pallete, CEO of Telefónica.
He is joined by names such as Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone, and Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona. Gestures of support for the Ukrainians were repeated, without fail, in all the great presentations accompanied by the sheet.
The GSMA, the entity that brings together telecoms and organizes the event, went a little beyond words and banned the Russian pavilion from the event – at MWC, some countries have specific areas where they take local companies. According to the Reuters news agency, some Russian companies were also withdrawn from the event.
“We are following international sanctions and some companies that are on the sanctions list will be barred from participating,” John Hoffman, CEO of event organizer GSMA, told Reuters. He did not specify which companies they are.
In the opening keynote of the event, GSMA Director General Mats Granryd said that the organizer “strongly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
MWC is one of the largest and most important technology events in the world, focused on the telecommunications sector, and takes place this week in Barcelona.
After a hiatus in 2020 and a reduced version in 2021, the event returned to its traditional format this year. The organization expects to receive between 40 and 60 thousand participants – a number below the 109 thousand in 2019.
A large demonstration against Russia is scheduled for this Wednesday night (2) in Barcelona. According to the website Metrópoli, more than 200 entities, such as unions, political parties and professional associations, confirmed their presence at the protest.
It will be the second demonstration in the city in support of Ukrainians this week. On Sunday (27), about 300 people gathered in Plaza Catalunya, in the center of the city, according to Europa Press.
NO CONNECTION
In a note to sheetKaspersky, which appeared on protesters’ posters, says it has no connection with the Russian government or any other country.
“We welcome the start of negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and hope that they will lead to a cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic solution. We believe that peaceful dialogue is the only possible instrument for conflict resolution. War is not good for anyone.” , says the text.
The journalist traveled at the invitation of Huawei
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
