He cited the attitude of some of those involved towards the Ukraine war as the reason.
Sebastian Krumbiegel, singer of the Leipzig pop group Die Prinzen, refrains from accepting the Lionheart Peace Prize. It should be awarded to Krumbiegel on November 19, 2023. As a reason for the rejection, the musician named the attitude of some of those involved to the war in Ukraine.
The 57-year-old should be honored for his commitment to the democratic community in Germany and against authoritarian tendencies. This was announced by the award committee in March 2023. The Lionheart Peace Prize is an award given by the non-governmental organization “Human Project” from Stuttgart. Previous winners include the late Russian politician Mikhail Gorbachev and the Fridays for Future movement.
According to his own statements, Sebastian Krumbiegel will not join the award winners. On Tuesday, July 18, the singer announced on his Twitter account that he would turn down the award. His views on the Ukraine war are incompatible with those of “some of those involved”, which is why he prefers to do without.
Krumbiegel’s reasons for rejecting the Peace Prize:
Krumbiegel did not elaborate on which person or persons he meant and what views on the subject he considered incompatible.
According to media reports, however, it can be assumed that he was referring to the journalist Gabriele Krone-Schmalz, who was also to be awarded. In her book “Understanding Russia. The struggle for Ukraine and the arrogance of the West” the annexation of the former Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea as “self-defence under time pressure”. The journalist is controversial because she is considered to be close to the Kremlin.