Pietro Boselli Addresses Backlash Surrounding Saudi Arabi Trip
Pietro Boselli is defending his recent trip to Saudi Arabia.
The 31-year-old Italian model took to Instagram on Tuesday (December 24) to address the backlash he faced for attending the MDL Beast Music Festival in the Middle East.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Pietro Boselli
“Like my friend @moalturki put it, seeing is believing,” Pietro wrote along with the video. “Let’s NOT stereotype, isolate, hate and boycott a country. Go meet its people and hear them out. Saudi is undergoing tremendous changes, for the better. Of course this does not mean forgetting the wrong that happened there. What is wrong should be condemned.”
People have been criticizing the celebs for attending the festival due to the human rights violations in the country recently. Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the country, multiple journalists were outed as gay and detained, and the Saudi government has a history of oppression of women.
Pietro continued: “But a positive change, and in this case openness, should be seen as progress, and a welcome one. Let’s please stop with this social media culture of outrage and division, and instead foster debate, tolerance and pluralism. These are the real liberal values we need. Not unilateral aggression and finger-pointing, and definitely not any more hatred.”
READ MORE: Ryan Phillippe Responds Directly to Backlash for Saudi Arabia Trip