REPORT. Who are the fans of Max Korzh, who filled the National Arena and shouted: “Bucharest, Ukraine!”

The concert of Belarusian singer Max Korzh was put to the test on Saturday, when a video circulated on the Internet claiming that his fans, Romanians, Ukrainians and young people from several Eastern European countries, are devastating Bucharest. It was a lie.

A few hours before Max Korzh's concert on Saturday, a video of “violence in Bucharest” began to be multiplied on social networks. It was the kind of video circulated a few years ago, when they showed “spectators” at a Romanian football match shouting Putin's name.

In both situations, the MAI dismantled the lie. Romanian law enforcement announced on Saturday afternoon that the video was rigged. The images were not from Bucharest, from Max Korzh's concert, but from a football match in France.

But why would someone with the ability to orchestrate an online campaign want to compromise a 37-year-old Belarusian rapper's concert? Perhaps because his apolitical but engaging music has become a symbol of resistance to the dictatorship in Belarus, in Russia, and a way for young people to express their dissatisfaction with things that are generally wrong in today's society. Who are these young people, with whom I spoke in Bucharest?

march

On Saturday, at 2 p.m., seven hours before the concert, 1,000 young people were at Piața Iancului, in the east of the Romanian capital. The march will take place from here to the National Arena.

They are flanked by gendarmes, including on horseback, and from above they are followed by a helicopter of the Romanian Police, which the fans greeted with cheers. “Bucharest”, “Max Korzh” and “Ukraine” are chanted along the route.

From time to time, the young people stop for choreography. After about an hour or so, I reach the access corridor leading to the stadium. They are greeted by other fans who came directly. On the surrounding streets, only foreign languages ​​are heard, mainly Russian, but also German and Romanian, the latter rather from the Bessarabians. On the wall of a building next to the alley-turned-street is a Korzh banner that says “SOLD OUT”.

Vania, Ukraine: “He's my favorite artist, I can say I love him!”

Fans line up to take a picture, from the gate of an old house that has a rusty Dacia 1300 in the yard, with the image of the idol on the building. T-shirts with Korzh are sold nearby from the trunk of a car with his music playing through the speakers.

Vania came from Ukraine. It's the first Max Korzh concert he's come to. He has been following the artist for five years, since he was little. He tells us that in Ukraine it is very popular. Including accommodation, transport and ticket, Vania paid about 1000 dollars to see Korzh live. “He's my favorite artist, I can say I love him!”

Korzh's popularity is huge in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Kazakhstan or the Czech Republic.

Part of his success comes from the fact that he addresses in his music very common themes for new generations in Slavic countries: alienation, autocracy and societal oppression.

His music resonates with young people from societies where freedom was or is problematic, where the future has always been uncertain and full of anxieties.

Victor, Republic of Moldova: “I heard about him when I was little”

Victor, coming from the Republic of Moldova, discovered Korzh through his friends. And there, the artist is very popular. He came to the concert with several friends. He took 250 euros out of his pocket, including ticket and fuel, for the show. He says he listens to Korzh because the artist tells young people to be themselves.

Starting at 4 p.m., people, under the coordination of the gendarmes and organizers, began to enter the stadium. There are several entrances, and people enter in groups, depending on how they are directed by the gendarmes.

Alexandra from Germany: “I've been listening to Korzh since I was a teenager”

At the queue on the other side of the stadium, the one with Ilie Ilașcu Square, we find Alexandra. She is also from the Republic of Moldova, but is settled in Germany. “I've been listening to Korzh since I was a teenager,” she says.

Alexandra came with a friend, and her part of the expenses came to around 250 euros, including accommodation and transport.

In the access corridor, which is the size of a street, all kinds of choreographies appear spontaneously. Choruses by the artist are sung, “Ukraine” is chanted, and even an anti-Putin message, which was also heard on the streets of the Old Center last evening.

Here and there, people appear who try to trick the wait and force their way in, but they are quickly fished out by the gendarmes, who send them to the end of the corridor.

At the entrance to the stadium there is a van with a screen on which the same message is running, in Russian and in English, related to the use of pyrotechnic materials, which is strictly prohibited and can lead to liability before the law. The message, in the same languages, also begins to be heard over the stadium loudspeakers as the show's start time approaches.

Ruslana from the Republic of Moldova: “No matter what happens, you must always move forward”

Veronica is from Mariupol, but has been living in the Netherlands for several years. Mariupol was occupied by the Russians after the invasion of Ukraine.

He has been listening to Korzh since he was ten years old. He came with two friends.

Ruslana, from the Republic of Moldova, told us that she listens to Korzh because she resonates with his message.

“It's the first concert I've come to. I've been listening to him for several years. I like that he, through his style of music that is for young people, conveys to you that no matter what happens, you must always move forward. You can always overcome all problems,” she told us.