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“This week,” reports Björn Ulvaeus, “I met a Ukrainian refugee family in my hometown Västervik” – this is how the Abba musician begins his speech in the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. A concert for the Ukraine aid took place there on Saturday (April 2nd). Swedish musicians raised money there, including Per Gessle, who performed the Roxette hit “Listen to your Heart”, and the singer Malena Ernman – the mother of Greta Thunberg.
“Hearing the story of the refugees was sad and hard,” Ulvaeus continues. Then: “This tragedy is caused by one man. A so-called strong man. One who rides a horse shirtless.” And finally, to thunderous applause: “One man is causing all this misery – a bastard!” (“skitstövel”). Putin is afraid, that’s why he’s going to war against the democracies – Ulvaeus criticizes the Russian autocrat without naming him.
Ulvaeus, born in 1945, talks about the threats that a number of nations had to endure from the Nazis and later from the Communists – and says: “We absolutely have to support Ukraine with all means”.
Björn Ulvaeus’ speech:
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