Madonna Show in Poland Faces Protest
Suddenly, Madonna‘s MDNA tour seems quite similar to Lady Gaga‘s Born This Way Ball tour, and not because ‘Express Yourself’ and ‘Born This Way’ have mirror melodies. Madge, who is about to be sued after ignoring a warning to remove images depicting French politico Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on her forehead at her France show, is now facing protest of her show in Warsaw, Poland. Youth Crusade, a Catholic group, is asking officials to cancel the Aug. 1 show since it lands on an important day in the city’s calendar — World War II Remembrance Day.
Every Aug. 1, Warsaw residents observe a moment of silence to commemorate the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupation. Out of respect to such a critical day, the protestors want the Madge show tossed since they pretty much consider her a heathen who stomps all over everything they hold sacred (in high-heeled boots, to boot). They’ve launched an online petition to try and get the gig canceled.
According to WENN, an online protest post read as follows:
“August 1 is a day of remembrance in Poland. We pay our respects to those who survived and those who perished in the uprising. We won’t allow the desecration of our hallowed symbols.”
Madge is never one to shy away from using Catholic imagery in twisted ways –you needn’t look any further than the ‘Like a Prayer’ video for evidence. She stands accused of “attacking the Catholic faith” and “offending Jesus Christ by burning crosses and wearing a crown of thorns.” The extremists also claim she promotes homosexuality and pornography, too.
To us, it’s just a pop show, but clearly, the perversion of religious iconography exceeds the limits of good tastes for pious Polish people.
Lady Gaga faced similar issues in Asia and even saw her Jakarta show canceled altogether when religious extremists threatened to intercept her at the airport and thwart the gig. These two are like sisters in controversy, thanks to their edgy stage set ups! It’s a shame they are feuding in the press, since they are both going through something similar with these protests and could totally support one another in a show of solidarity among American pop stars.
Watch the Madonna ‘Turn Up the Radio’ Video