Tech event organiser Web Summit said it would ban Russian-linked companies, organisation and government members from taking part in its upcoming events in Canada and Lisbon later this year.
In a statement, the company said it would act in accordance with the sanctions placed on both Russia and Belarus by the European Union and Canada. No companies, agencies, state-controlled media, state-backed businesses or companies with ties to the Russian government would be allowed to exhibit or participate at Collision in Toronto or Web Summit in Lisbon. The ban includes public and private companies and start-ups.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely. As things stand, we will not be hosting any Russian or Belarusian organisations and businesses in Toronto this June or in Lisbon this November,” the company said in a statement.
Collision is Web Summit's North American technology conference, established in Las Vegas in 2014. The conference moved to New Orleans in 2016, and relocated to Toronto in 2019.
Its sister conference, Rise, was due to be held this month in Hong Kong as an in-person event. However, ongoing uncertainty over the Covid-19 pandemic led to its cancellation until next year.
