Rod Stewart Responds To Reports Claiming He Was Booed In Germany Due To His Support For Ukraine
Sir Rod Stewart has issued a statement following reports he was booed during a recent show in Germany after voicing his support for Ukraine.
On Friday night, the Sailing singer was performing in the German city of Leipzig, during which he took a moment to show solidarity with Ukraine while singing his hit Rhythm Of My Heart, described by the Grammy winner himself as an “anti-war” song.
As part of the performance, the backdrop featuring the Ukrainian flag and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who the singer was seen saluting.
However, this display apparently sparked a somewhat mixed response, with numerousmediaoutletsclaiming that boos were heard from the crowd at this part of the show.
In response, Sir Rod – who has previously voiced his support for Ukraine on multiple occasions – insisted he would “continue” to speak out.
The chart-topping crooner told PA (via the Standard): “I have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war. From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family, as well as employing two Ukrainians as part of my touring crew.
“So yes, I do support Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue to do so. Putin must be stopped.”
He added: “I’m having the time of my life playing for German audiences, sharing some special memories, and I’m looking forward to playing my remaining dates here.”
In recent history, Sir Rod has become more outspoken on various social and political issues, turning down an offer to perform at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and calling into Sky News to pay for around “10 to 20” viewers to have life-saving scans following a report about crises within the NHS.
While he has previously professed to be a Conservative voter (including as recently as 2019), he said at the time that the current government should “stand down” and “give the Labour Party a go”.
“In all my years in this country I’ve never seen it so bad,” he observed. “Change the bloody government.”
