Black Eyed Peas Spark Heat For Wearing Rainbow Armbands In Poland New Year's Event

"Where's the love?" asked rapper Will.i.am after a party official called the armbands a "disgrace."
Screen Shot/YouTube.com/will.i.am

The Black Eyed Peas had a surprise for state-sanctioned Polish TV when all four members of the hip-hop group wore rainbow armbands in solidarity with the LGBTQ community at a New Year’s performance in Poland.

The group headlined the TVP channel’s “New Year’s of Dreams” show.

Their armbands infuriated members of the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), currently in power, which pushes anti-LGBTQ policies, reported TMZ.

Party member Marcin Warchoł called the armbands a “disgrace,” adding: “It’s not a New Year’s Eve of Dreams but a New Year’s Eve of Defiance.” (In some reports, Warchoł’s wording was translated as “a New Year’s Eve of Deviance.”)

“Where’s the love?” responded Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.i.am.

“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,” he tweeted.

During the event, Will.i.am thanked his “super inspirational” Polish audience for “being so open hearted and open minded,” and for supporting the people of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

He then dedicated the song “Where Is the Love?” to victims of hate in 2022, including Black people and the Jewish and LGBTQ communities.

“The Jewish community, we love you ... People of African descent all over the world, we love you,” he said. “The LGBTQ community, we love you,” he said in a video clip he posted of the performance.

After the song, he explained the group’s message of love and tolerance. Check it out below:

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