Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in an armchair discussion with founder and CEO of BroadbandTV Corp, Shahrfad Rafaiti, at the Collision tech conference in Toronto on Monday May 20, 2019. The conference is banning all businesses, government officials and media companies with ties to Russia and Belarus from attending this year's event.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The Collision global technology conference in Toronto is prohibiting all businesses, government officials and media companies with ties to Russia and Belarus from attending.
The conference will take place in late June. It is organized by Connected Intelligence Ltd., which operates under the name Web Summit. Held in Lisbon, the Web Summit conference is one of the world’s largest tech events and has the same managers as Collision.
In a statement on Friday, spokesperson Katherine Farrell said the organizers excluded Russia and Belarus from both conferences to “stand in solidarity with Ukraine and oppose this war of aggression.”
“We have made the decision to prohibit all government members and agencies, state-controlled media, state-backed businesses, and companies with ties to the Russian government, from participating at Web Summit and Collision,” Ms. Farrell said. “Furthermore, all Russian businesses, including public and private companies and startups, will be prohibited from exhibiting at Web Summit and Collision.”
Organizers would not say how many people will be affected by the decision, and declined to name any banned companies or firms.
Collision is deeply saddened by the loss of life and the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and oppose this war of aggression. (1/5)
— Collision Conf (@CollisionHQ) March 4, 2022
Every few years, Collision moves to a different city. Organizers had picked Toronto for three years, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to be postponed in 2020 and 2021.
That makes this year Collision’s first in-person event in the city since 2019. Thousands of people are expected to attend, including representatives of Fortune 500 companies, major news outlets and politicians across different jurisdictions.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a wave of severed ties, divestments and corporate boycotts for people and businesses in that country by many organizations and leaders around the world. Unlike some of those efforts, however, Collison took the additional step to also include Belarus in the sanctions.
On Wednesday, the European Union approved a new slate of sanctions targeting Belarus after it allowed Russia to use its territory as a base to launch its attack on Ukraine. European Union President Ursula von der Leyen called Belarus “the other aggressor in this war.”
Collision is acting directly in accordance with the EU’s efforts, which have also been backed by Canada, Ms. Farrell said.
“As things stand, we will not be hosting any Russian or Belarusian organizations and businesses in Toronto this June or in Lisbon this November.”
With a report from Josh O’Kane
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Temur Durrani