Black Eyed Peas have prompted praise and condemnation in Poland after standing up for LGBTQ rights.
The US band appeared on the country’s high-profile, live, New Year’s Eve TV show. Just days earlier, former Spice Girl Mel C had pulled out of the same “New Year’s Eve of Dreams” gig in Zakopane. The country’s state broadcaster transmitted the show to an audience of around 8.3 million.
Mel C said at the time, “In light of some issues that have been brought to my attention, that do not align with the communities I support, I’m afraid I will no longer be able to perform in Poland as planned on New Year’s Eve. I hope to be back there very soon.”
— Mel C / Melanie C (@MelanieCmusic) December 26, 2022
Related: British ambassador to Poland wears rainbow face mask for LGBTQ rights
The Black Eyed Peas went ahead with their performance on the show. When they hit the stage to perform their hit “Where Is The Love”, the four members—Apl.de.ap, J. Rey Soul, Taboo and will.i.am—wore rainbow armbands.
Before launching into the song, will.i.am said, “We dedicate this song to people who have experienced hate this year: Jewish community, we love you, Africans around the world, we love you, LGBTQ community, we love you.”
Watch below.
We gotta feeling that 2023’s gonna be a good year😈#BlackEyedPeas
Happy New Year !— e-wrzosek #FBPE🇪🇺🇵🇱🏳️🌈#FundamentalRights (@e_wrzosek) January 1, 2023
Far-right politicians express disgust
Notorious homophobe Marcin Warchol, Deputy Justice Minister and a member of Poland’s Law and Justice Party (PiS), was among those to express horror.
Warchol took to Twitter to call the display of LGBTQ rights a “disgrace.” Many other Twitter users expressed disgust, although many LGBTQ advocates welcomed the performance.
According to ILGA-Europe’s 2022 report, LGBTQ rights in Poland are the worst among European Union countries, largely due to the country being strongly influenced by Catholic moral doctrines.
will.i.am retweeted Warchol’s message with a response, saying, “#WHEREStheLOVE??? Unity, tolerance, understanding, oneness, respect, diversity & inclusion…THATS LOVE…people are people & we should all practice to honor & love all the different types of people on earth & learn from them…I LOVE YOU your country…”
#WHEREStheLOVE???
Unity, tolerance, understanding, oneness, respect, diversity & inclusion…THATS LOVE…people are people & we should all practice to honor & love all the different types of people on earth & learn from them…I LOVE YOU your country… https://t.co/P2MmKewLwV— will.i.am (@iamwill) December 31, 2022
Related: Trump congratulates Poland’s homophobic President on his re-election
Warchol responded, “Then why didn’t you boycott the Qatar World Cup over the treatment of women, migrants and the LGBTQ+ community in the country? You were selling principles for profit. Hypocrisy.”
Will.i.am responded: “We went to these places to spread LOVE… why boycott when you can go directly to the source to be inspired and do your best to inspire them and spread LOVE… that’s called love.”
We went to these places to spread LOVE…why boycott when you can go directly to the source that needs to be inspired and try your hardest to inspire them and spread LOVE…it’s called #LOVE https://t.co/DSsgXYxXXh
— will.i.am (@iamwill) December 31, 2022
will.i.am says the band will perform “Where Is The Love” everywhere
The rapper also posted a video on his Instagram stories, defending wearing the armbands and performing in Poland.
Will I Am z Black Eyed Peas właśnie na Instagram mówił o tym, że oni są Black Eyed Peas a nie Black Eyed PiS 😃 pic.twitter.com/nebXewWlW3
— (((hellvis))) (@HelvisPriestley) December 31, 2022
He said, “We are the Black Eyed Peas… not the Black Eyed PiS. We stand for unity, love, tolerance, oneness. Listen to our music. Songs like ‘Union’, ‘One Tribe’. Sometimes you’ve got to go where people don’t have the same views to inspire them on difference, to inspire them on what tolerance looks like. And so it’s been great being here. Poland is an awesome country. My times coming to Poland have always been awesome.”
On Twitter, he went on to further defend his band’s performances in UAE and Saudi Arabia, among other countries.
It’s called a music career…
And I’m so happy and blessed that I am able to spread love and oneness and UNITY for a living…
And I’m so blessed that with our success I am to give back with my @iamangelfdn where we serve 12k students with STEM education…
It’s called #LOVE!!! https://t.co/qnjFZe7tXI
— will.i.am (@iamwill) December 31, 2022
Related: Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski slams Poland’s “absurd” LGBTQ crackdown
Vince
Poland has always been a center of intolerance.
Good for them for publicly showing their support though. Hopefully the younger generations will improve things.
bachy
I often wonder if cis het male artists are shocked when they see, first hand, how virulent the blowback can be against anyone that openly supports LGBTQ.
That being said, exposure to racism must have informed the expectations of Apl.de.ap, J. Rey Soul, Taboo and will.i.am.
IvanPH
Lady Warchol doth protest too much
anton
Love the Black Eyed PiS pun!
The PiS is the Polish version of Trumpers. However, over the years their base as become steadily more rural and older. They’re literally aging out. Last I read they’re failing to attract new members at anything even to replacement rate.
Poland’s intolerance is largely a product of post-WWII attempts at Sovietization and the largely performative support the Roman Catholic Church enjoyed as it was the only available means of protest during the Soviet era. The RCC’s influence is fading, much the same as in Ireland, but at a slower rate.
Until WWII Poland was one of the most diverse countries in Europe. Poland welcomed, rather than evicted Jews, Roma, and Muslims. throughout its history. Fun Fact: There’s even a Polish mosque in Brooklyn, NY.
Claytonisahobo
Where’s Fergie?
ScottOnEarth
This is so great. Not only am I exceptionally appreciative of their public championing of groups of people who are being attacked, but will.i.am’s Twitter responses stayed the course of patience, kindness and expressing love. It’s just unbelievable that we are still having these conflicts in 2023. The world is sick with hatred and intolerance.