Dua Lipa posted a heartfelt note to her fans on Thursday (Sept. 13) after a number of them were forcefully removed from her show at the National Exhibition and Convention center in Shanghai on Wednesday (Sept. 12) for reportedly dancing in their seats and waving rainbow flags supporting gay rights.
“Last night I did it for my fans,” she wrote. “A promised show. I stood by them, sang with them and danced with them. I will stand by you all for your love and beliefs and I am proud and grateful that you felt safe enough to show your pride at my show.”
A number of videos of the incident show security personnel pulling people out of their seats at the show on Lipa’s first tour of China, where homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997, but, according to the BBC, LGBTQ-related content has recently been censored from the Weibo social media platform.
I just CANT believe it. This is the show of Dua Lipa in Shanghai. All the fans are forbidden to stand out and could only sit on to see the show?!? If you don’t, the guard would use violence to kick u out. It’s unbelievable… #dualipa pic.twitter.com/quITZNLVxU
— ??? (@imneo_) September 12, 2018
Outside of the concert, the guards even kicked a fan physically… pic.twitter.com/1nx3WHf8F2
— ??? (@imneo_) September 12, 2018
And all the people are not allowed to stand. What a laugh. https://t.co/SmDzYHn8TV
— ??? (@imneo_) September 12, 2018
According to videos posted by fans, the singer seemed to get visibly upset during the show, where she told the audience, “I want to create a really safe environment for us all to have fun. I want us all to dance. I want us all to sing, I want us all to just have a really good time… I would love in these last few songs for us to really, really, really enjoy ourselves. How about that?”
Dua Lipa Cried In Shanghai China Tonight pic.twitter.com/Tz17SRGpiH
— Liability (@958353005) September 12, 2018
In her note to fans, Lipa continued in a similar vein, writing, “What you did takes a lot of bravery. I always want my music to bring strength, hope and unity. I was horrified by what happened and I send love to all my fans involved. I would love to come back for my fans when the time is right and hopefully see a room full of rainbows.”
Shanghai ?? pic.twitter.com/mxLHxj2Y3y
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) September 13, 2018