Mel C pulls out of Poland gig over “issues that do not align with communities I support”

27 December, 2022

Mel C has pulled out of a New Year’s Eve gig in Poland, citing “issues that do not align with communities I support”.

The former Spice Girl was meant to perform for the Polish state broadcaster as a special guest, but told fans on social media that she would no longer make the trip to the Eastern European country.

“In light of some issues that have been brought to my attention, that do not align with the communities I support, I’m afraid 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.”

The singer, whose real name is Melanie Chisholm, did not elaborate on what these issues were, but it has been speculated that they relate to mistreatment of LGBTQ+ peoples in Poland. Chisholm is widely known for her allyship to the queer community, and had previously said that for that reason, she “wouldn’t be comfortable” performing at the recent Qatar World Cup on the basis of the country’s poor record on LGBTQ+ rights.

Poland has a similar stance in relation to the queer community, having recently been found to have the worst protections for LGBTQ+ people in the European Union, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (via SkyNews). Same-sex marriage is not recognised in the country, while some regions have enacted largely symbolic “same-sex free” zones.

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has also vowed to ban the teaching of subjects related to the LGBTQ+ community in schools, and prevent same-sex couples from adopting children.

Earlier this month, Mel C joined Blossoms on stage at their Brixton Academy show for a cover of Spice Girls’ ‘Spice Up Your Life’.

Meanwhile, Spice Girls have been rumoured to reunite at next year’s Glastonbury.

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