Vojtěch Lavička: In the scandal of the "aggressor" who threw flour on the red carpet, it makes no sense for the singer to keep insisting he knew nothing about it
The scandal of the "aggressor" who threw flour on a celebrity is again in motion and heading toward an unsuccessful end, to put it mildly. Jan "Honza" Bendig, who is currently the most successful Romani singer in Bohemia, without a doubt, is sticking to the story that he knew nothing about the stunt ahead of time despite crushing evidence from a Czech Police resolution to the contrary.
News server Romea.cz has reported on this in detail here. Despite the denials, there is no longer any doubt that the “attack” was prearranged.
The question remains open as to why Honza and his manager Lukáš Rejmon ever decided to pull this stunt in the first place. Honza and I have known each other since his student days at the International Conservatory Prague, and I collaborated with him on the musical “Superstar Company”.
There is no doubt about Honza’s talent or his successes. Today he is a recognized mainstream artist, he leads the hit parade, has a full concert schedule, and his videos get several million views online.
Why, then, did he need this kind of publicity? Why didn’t he admit from the first moment it was revealed that the “attack” on him on the red carpet had been prearranged?
It’s a pity he didn’t do so when it was first revealed, because nothing horrible would have happened. On the contrary, everybody would have appreciated the admission.
After all, in the show business world such stunts are pulled all the time. In 2009, during the MTV Movie Awards, the famous actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed like an angel with wings, “fell” into Eminem’s lap and wrapped his crotch around the rapper’s face.
Naturally that was a staged scene. The reason? Cohen’s film “Bruno” was about to premiere.
In 2001 the singer Björk shocked those present on the red carpet ahead of the MTV Awards ceremony when she “laid” an egg while wearing a swan dress. The reason? Promotion ahead of an album release.
There are many more such examples – celebrities frequently pull such stunts and most of them are related to a planned artistic project or promotion for a new album, film or other product. For that reason, I am assuming – and naturally I could be wrong – that Honza and Lukáš Rejmon took this step in order to generate more publicity for and possibly to promote Honza’s mega-concert at the O2 Universum venue (which has ultimately been postponed to the autumn).
Klára Kalibová, director of In IUSTITIA
“This will have a negative impact on all victims of bias crime, especially Romani people who will try to report being assaulted, and the situation could deteriorate from the perspective that they might not be believed. Mr. Bendig should apologize above all to the Czech Roma,“ the attorney Klára Kalibová, who is the director and founder of the In IUSTITIA organization, which aids victims of bias crime, told CNN Prima NEWS.
Apparently they didn’t count on the initiative of the police, who immediately started investigating the case as a potentially racist or terrorist crime. Now, personally speaking, I have no problem with such stunts as methods of promotion.
I had the opportunity to be a part of show business with the band Gipsy.cz, so I understand such stunts. Of course, Honza and his manager chose a very unfortunate format this time, that of a “racist” attack.
They apparently didn’t think this through. Maybe if they had publicized the fact a day or two later that this was all a joke, maybe if they’d taken a couple of funny photographs with the “aggressor”, it might have worked.
The way it has actually transpired is all wrong. This is not just about Honza and his successful career as a brilliant singer anymore.
Honza has to accept the fact that as a publicly famous Romani man, he has a big responsibility as a representative of us Roma. This isn’t a question of choice, it’s just how things work in Bohemia.
For most of society here, Jan Bendig is a Romani singer, Richard Samko is a Romani reporter at Czech Television and Zdeněk Godla is a Romani actor. Their every move is followed under an even more powerful microscope than the ones used for other famous figures.
If a celebrity who is Romani does something like what Honza Bendig has done, the public won’t just condemn him, but will condemn all other Romani people as well. That said, I don’t believe a dramatic denouement is in store for this scandal.
Honza will pay his fine and keep on going. Of course, it is decidedly important that he learn the lesson of this scandal and do a better job of thinking through his promotion in the future.
Up to now, Honza’s career has been wonderful, and more successes certainly lie ahead for him. That’s what I wish for him from the bottom of my heart.
