Madonna Booed for Defending Gypsies

Madonna provoked booing, but also a bit of polite applause and cheering, when she paused halfway through a show in Bucharest, Romania to extol the importance of loving thy neighbor to the crowd of 60,000 E! Online reports.

Madonna wanted to address the discrimination in Romania, and in Eastern Europe in general, toward Gypsies, or Roma, the regions most socially and economically underprivileged minority.

The pop star said the discrimination made her "very sad, especially because we don't believe in discrimination against anyone."

"We believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone, right?" she continued. "Gypsies, homosexuals, people who are different, everyone is equal and should be treated with respect, okay? Let's not forget that."

According to MSNBC.com, Madonna did not react to the booing.

Roma musicians and a Roma dancer were featured in the show and their performances were applauded by the crowd.

Madonna will perform next in Sofia, Bulgaria Saturday night. Earlier this week, officials from the Orthodox Church encouraged Bulgarian fans to boycott the show because of Madonna's "disrespect" for their religious rituals.