Blondie Turn Down Gig At Sochi Winter Olympics

9 February 2014 | 6:18 pm | Staff Writer

They are standing up for human rights.

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Legendary American new wave/punk rock/pop group Blondie have revealed they turned down an offer to be a part of the 2014 Winter Olympics, currently taking place in the Russian city of Sochi.

The band shared a letter of invitation to perform at the major sporting event on their twitter and Facebook pages early Saturday morning, around the time the Opening Ceremony was taking place, which had the words PASS and HUMAN RIGHTS scrawled over the top of it.

The band are one of many groups who have boycotted the Games due to the extreme anti-gay laws of the host country Russia.

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The Red Rocks Festival that Blondie were asked to be a part of was headlined by Scissor Sisters in 2012, the year before the country's anti-gay propaganda bill was introduced.