Two weeks after the World Cup, there is another row over rainbow dressings – now in Poland, Ukraine is said to have put hundreds of Russians out of action – the nightly update without photos

It was one of the most talked about non-football issues during the World Cup in Qatar, especially in the first weeks of the tournament: FIFA and Qatari officials did not want to see rainbow colored accessories in the stadiums. The association of the rainbow with the LGBTQ+ community, which is frowned upon in the Islamic country, has been a thorn in the side of the Qatari hosts.

FIFA easily accommodated the wishes of the Qataris by enforcing a zero-tolerance policy on political messages, such as banning the wearing of the rainbow-themed One Love armband.

The criticism from Western countries, especially from Europe, was great. But now another incident proves that Qatar is not the only country that needs to catch up on LGBTQ+ tolerance – there are still decidedly critical voices in Europe itself. This is evident from a performance by the American hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas in Poland.

That happened in Poland

The band, consisting of members will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo, performed on the Polish TV channel TVP on New Year’s Eve. Around the turn of the year, the TV channel organized a concert in the winter sports resort of Zakopane, which was broadcast nationwide, according to Polish online news portal notesfrompoland.com.

During the concert, the Americans wore bracelets in the colors of the rainbow and performed their world hit “Where Is The Love?” to the best. The song was released in 2003 in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and is an all-round attack against terrorism, racism, war, violence and intolerance – also against LGBTQ + people.

The background of the performance

To classify the performance, it is important to know that in recent years the public TV broadcaster TVP has supported the campaign of the conservative Polish governing party “Law and Justice” (in Polish “Prawo i Sprawiedliwość”, or “PiS” for short). against the so-called “LGBTQ+ ideology”. PiS takes a clear right-wing conservative position and speaks out, for example, against the legalization of euthanasia, abortion and equality for same-sex partnerships. TVP proved to be a willing platform to highlight the party’s controversial content.

Ex-Spice Girl Mel C was originally supposed to perform at the concert, but she canceled at short notice. She does not want to appear because of “things that don’t fit the communities I support,” notesofpoland.com reported. The Black Eyed Peas had therefore intervened as a substitute.

This is how Polish conservatives react

After the performance, many conservative Polish politicians spoke up – and, unsurprisingly, did not take kindly to the group’s presentation. Even two state secretaries commented. Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Warchoł wrote on Twitter: «LGBT advertising in TVP2. Shame! It is not a New Year’s Eve of dreams, but a New Year’s Eve of anomalies.”

Deputy Agriculture Minister Janusz Kowalski also criticized the appearance: “Gay propaganda on TVP for a million dollars,” said the 44-year-old. He referred to media reports, according to which the concert, including musicians’ fees, would have cost up to one million euros.

Both politicians belong to the “Solidarna Polska” (“Solidarity Poland”) party, which is also conservative on social issues and is also involved in the government.

That’s what the musicians say

The Black Eyed Peas members were well aware of the controversial context of the performance, as suggested by the bracelet on the one hand and their post-concert commentary on the other. On social media, will.i.am wrote, among other things, “We are the Black Eyed Peas…or you could also say the Black Eyed Peace, because we stand for peace, equality and harmony.” He also directed a direct tip to the conservative Polish governing party PiS: “We are not the Black Eyed PiS,” said the singer.

Therefore, the Black Eyed Peas are accused of hypocrisy

Although the group received much encouragement for the performance and many LGBTQ + people online thanked for the support, there are also other critical voices accusing the Americans of hypocrisy.

The musicians have also performed in the past in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – countries even less known than Poland for their LGBTQ+ tolerance. Since the musicians there did not wear rainbow symbols or make political statements about the performances, they are now accused of hypocrisy and calculation: where a protest would remain without consequences in an economic sense, they would – all the more so – dare to express political messages. restrictive Arab But not states, so the tenor.

Singer will.i.am does not accept the accusations and defends himself against the accusations on Twitter. For example, he explains that the Black Eyed Peas would “go wherever love is needed”. For example to Saudi Arabia, where they would have given one of the first concerts ever. He also points out that “Where Is The Love?” would have given the best, as with all performances in the countries mentioned.