Rock star Rod Stewart was whistled and booed after he paid a tribute to Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression.
Sir Stewart who was well received in Copenhagen, and Amsterdam had his concert ruffled in Leipzig as fans did not take it kindly when he showed support for Ukraine with the song
“Rhythm of My Heart” at the sold out venue.
Wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag, he dedicated the song to the Ukrainian people and army before shouting an insult against Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.
As he performed the song, images of the war, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and the country’s flag were shown on the screen behind him.
The audience responded with loud boos and whistles, according to several media reports.
The singer has previously been vocal in his support for Ukraine and reportedly rented a house for Ukrainian refugees in Britain.
Michael Roth, a foreign policy expert for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD, on Sunday called Sir Rod the “hero of the day”.
“Thanks for your solidarity with the Ukrainian people!” he wrote on X.
But public opinion remains split on the issue, with some fearing Germany’s backing for Kyiv could risk escalating the war while others resent the amount of money being spent on Ukraine.
German far-left and far-right parties that are opposed to the government’s backing for Ukraine both scored major gains in last week’s EU elections.
