Madonna was booed during her concert in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday for comments addressing discrimination against Roma, aka, Romani or Gypsies.
During a pause in her two hour show, Madonna, who has been touring with a group of Roma musicians, said, “It has been brought to my attention … that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe,” she said. “It made me feel very sad.”
The comment was met with boos and jeers from the 60,000-strong crowd.
Roma, a nomadic ethnic group that live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, are widely discriminated against, often confined to low-class ghettos and subject to police brutality and racially motivated attacks.
Inciting more boos and a few cheers, Madonna added, “We believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone, right? Gypsies, homosexuals, people who are different; everyone is equal and should be treated with respect, OK? Let’s not forget that.”
View video of Madonna getting booed during her Bucharest concert below: