Sting warns of dangers of democracy during concert in Warsaw

British musician Sting interrupted a concert in Warsaw on Saturday night to warn his audience that democracy is under attack across the world and denounced the war in Ukraine as “absurdity based on lies”.

He asked popular Polish actor Maciej Stuhr to take the stage to translate his warning that democracy is “in serious danger of being lost if we don’t protect it”.

“The alternative to democracy is a prison, a prison of the mind. The alternative to democracy is violence, oppression, incarceration and silence,” Sting said, making a throat-slitting gesture.

The 70-year-old delivered his message to the country, which borders Ukraine, where Russia launched an invasion on Feb. 24 that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Poland has become a haven for more Ukrainians than any other country.

“The war in Ukraine is an absurdity based on lies. If we believe that lie, the lie will devour us,” Sting said.

He appeared to be referring to the justifications Russia has tried to provide for its invasion, including Russia’s claim that it is trying to “denazify” Ukraine, a democracy led by a Jewish president.

The audience at the National Stadium in Warsaw understood the reference to their own country.

Sting received particularly loud applause when he said that democracy is a dirty and frustrating thing, “but it’s worth fighting for.”

The European Union and human rights organizations often accuse Poland’s populist government of violating democratic norms by tightening control over the judiciary and the media, restricting women’s reproductive rights and engaging in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

After the performance, he sang “Fragile”, whose lyrics contain the words that “nothing comes from violence and nothing could”.