Politics stand behind Germany's decision to cancel entry visas to some of the Night Wolves bike club members, a Russian lawmaker said.
The Night Wolves, a Russian motorcycle club, is planning a trip across European cities, including Minsk, Brest, Bratislava, Vienna, Munich, Prague and Berlin, to mark the Victory Day 70th anniversary.
"We must call things by their proper names. It was a politically motivated and purely discriminatory decision," Frants Klintsevich, first vice chairman of the United Russia parliamentary majority faction and member of the State Duma's defense committee, told reporters.
It was an act of discrimination in reaction to a firm position and strong convictions, he said. "Whatever the German authorities may be saying now or Polish officials said earlier, this decision is directly connected with the bike club's patriotic position and active support for President Vladimir Putin," Klintsevich said.
Germany has cancelled visas earlier issued to some of the Knight Wolves members, citing incorrect personal data provided, as well as feared breaches of the peace and security in Germany.
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