The group – comprising of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo – performed in the country to ring in 2023, in a concert organised by the Polish state broadcaster TVP.
Over recent years, the station has contributed towards the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party’s campaign against what it calls ‘LGBT ideology’.
While homosexuality is legal in Poland, and has been since 1932, the community continue to face challenges. According to ILGA-Europe’s 2022 report, the status of LGBTQ+ rights in Poland is the worst among European Union countries.
Standing in solidarity with queer fans, Black Eyed Pease donned rainbow armbands while on stage as the headlining act at the New Year’s Eve of Dreams show.
All members of the group wore the colourful armbands – which represent the colours of the Pride flag – throughout the set, delighting the crowd with their biggest hits.
However, the Good Feeling hitmakers received backlash after sparking outrage amongst the PiS party due to its strong anti-LGBTQ+ views.
One member, Marcin Warchol, expressed his distaste on social media, writing: ‘LGBT promotion in TVP2 . DISGRACE! It’s not a New Year’s Eve of Dreams but a New Year’s Eve of Deviance.’
Janusz Kowalski, deputy agriculture minister, also claimed the band were promoting ‘homopropaganda’ on TVP in the show that supposedly cost $1million to run.
However, the musicians have remained defiant, with rapper Will taking to Instagram after the performance to send a positive message.
He said in a video that Where Is the Love? was dedicated ‘to unity’ as he specifically named marginalised communities, including those who are LGBTQ+, Jewish, and those of African descent.
‘We are the Black Eyed Peas, or you can say Black Eyed Peace, because we are for peace, equality, harmony. We are not the Black Eyed PiS,’ said the star, directly calling out the hateful party.
He continued: ‘We stand for unity, love, tolerance, oneness.’
On their decision to perform in Poland despite the humanitarian issues, he added: ‘Sometimes, you gotta go where people don’t have the same views to inspire them on difference, to inspire them on what tolerance looks like.’
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