In the midst of a brewing controversy over Coldplay‘s planned concert in Malaysia, the band’s frontman, Chris Martin, has spoken out in response to concerns voiced by a member of parliament about his photos holding a Pride flag.
The dispute erupted when Nasrudin Hassan, a Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) opposition member of parliament, advocated for the cancelation of Coldplay’s November concert. Hassan expressed fear stating that:
“Does the government want to nurture a culture of hedonism and perversion in this country? I advise you to just cancel this group’s performance in Malaysia. It brings nothing good to religion, race, and country.”
In response to the criticism, Chris Martin expressed a message of inclusivity and love in an interview with Malaysia’s national radio station Hitz, declaring:
“Every time I meet Malaysian people, I feel such a sense of love and warmth. Everybody is welcome to our show. We love all people, all kinds of people, all religions. All leaders, all followers – nobody excluded. We really want you to come to our show and feel free to be yourself and feel free to let everybody be themselves. Anyone who is not happy we are coming, we’re sorry, but we love you too.”
You can see the statement below.
