Mel C refused a New Year’s concert in Poland, citing “problems that do not correspond to the communities that I support.”
The former Spice Girl was supposed to perform for the Polish state broadcaster as a special guest, but told fans on social media that she would no longer travel to the Eastern European country.
“In light of some of the issues that have been brought to my attention and that do not correspond to the communities I support, I am afraid that I will no longer be able to perform in Poland as planned on New Year’s Eve,” she said. “I hope to be back there very soon.”
— Mel C / Melanie C (@MelanieCmusic) December 26, 2022
The singer, whose real name is Melanie Chisholm, did not specify what these problems were, but it was suggested that they were related to the abuse of LGBTQ+ people in Poland. Chisholm is widely known for her alliance with the queer community and has previously stated that for this reason she would “not be comfortable” performing at the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to the country’s poor reputation regarding LGBTQ+ rights.
According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (via SkyNews), Poland takes a similar position towards the queer community, as it was recently discovered that it has the worst protection for LGBTQ+ people in the European Union. Same-sex marriages are not recognized in the country, while in some regions mainly symbolic “zones free from same-sex relationships” have been introduced.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also promised to ban the teaching of subjects related to the LGBTQ+ community in schools and prevent the adoption of children by same-sex couples.
Earlier this month, Mel C joined the Blossoms on stage at their Brixton Academy show to perform a cover of the Spice Girls’ song “Spice Up Your Life”.
Meanwhile, the Spice Girls are rumored to be reuniting at Glastonbury next year.
