Stefan Romaniw: “A false moral equivalence between the aggressor and the victim.” The controversial mural in Melbourne painted over

After harsh criticism and backlash from the Ukrainian community, Australian artist Peter Seaton has painted over its mural in Melbourne depicting Ukrainian and Russian soldiers embracing.

Stefan Romaniw, UWC First Vice President and Co-chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations, called the mural “a chilling attempt to diminish the reality of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, draw a false moral equivalence between the aggressor and the victim, and promote Russian disinformation.”

“What would people think if a mural featured a rapist and a victim hugging? Wouldn’t that offend any decent person’s conviction that to ask a victim to excuse their rapist while the crime is still occurring, not been acknowledged, and not been atoned for, is wrong?” he said.

According to Seaton, the mural was intended to symbolize a call for a peaceful settlement of relations between Russia and Ukraine, and he did not think “that it would be so badly received.” Finally, he apologized for his work, stating that it was “clumsy,” and decided to paint over it.

Sources used: Perild; Canada Today; Life.Pravda