Factory Records’ Alan Erasmus heads to Kyiv to assist humanitarian causes
In a text message shared by author and Hacienda legend Dave Haslam, Erasmus said: "Maybe one person can make a difference"
Factory Records co-founder Alan Erasmus is reportedly heading to Kyiv tomorrow (March 2) to assist in the humanitarian effort in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
That’s according to text messages shared by author and Hacienda legend Dave Haslam, who wrote on Twitter: “Message received this morning from Alan Erasmus co-founder of Factory Records”, sharing a screenshot of the text message and adding that the message “is genuine and heartfelt”.
“Alan has a history of humanitarian action. Can anyone help put him in touch with contacts in Kyiv?”
In the message, Erasmus wrote: “Cold, wet, Manchester morning. On Friday I thought, ‘I’m not having this’, I’ve fought bully’s [sic], of one kind or another, all my life, Putin is no different.
“This is a very, very important moment in history Dave, it cannot be lost,” he added, before confirming that he is flying to the Polish city of Krakow on Wednesday before making his way to the Ukrainian capital.
“Once there (with [The Durutti Column, an early Factory Records band and Anarchist group in the Spanish Civil War] in mind) I will set about convening the Factory Nentsov Column made up of fellow helpers and volunteers.”
Erasmus went on to share a plea for contacts and information in Kyiv, ending his message: “Maybe one person can make a difference. Wish me luck, stay safe.”
Erasmus has a long history of humanitarian action, and was known to have driven to Liberia during the Ebola crisis to assist in the humanitarian relief effort.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of last Thursday (February 24), with Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing the assault in a pre-recorded address, with air strikes reported on military facilities close to cities across Ukraine, including the capital of Kyiv, and with Russian military vehicles breaching the border in a number of locations.
Ukraine has described it as a “full-scale invasion”, per the BBC, and has instituted martial law and severed diplomatic relations with Russia.
Since then, a number of artists, including Green Day and Yungblud, have cancelled shows scheduled in Russia in 2022.
In a statement announcing that his own summer gigs in the country would be cancelled, Yungblud wrote: “I’m heartbroken to announce I will be cancelling my Russian shows scheduled for this summer.
“Heartbroken because I know the vicious and brutal acts of the Russian regime in Ukraine over the past week do not reflect the attitudes and ideals of the beautiful people who I have met in Russia in the past.”