Sting to headline ‘The Life Festival’ in Auschwitz

British rock icon Sting will be the guest of honor at ‘The Life Festival’ in Auschwitz, known as Oświęcim in Polish,  at the end of June.

The creator of  Life Festival, Darek Maciborek, a Oscwiecim born journalist is seeking to spread messages of “peace and tolerance” in his hometown, a city most recognized for its concentration camp.

Sting will be performing with a 5 piece band as part of his “Back to Bass” tour on Saturday, June 29th at 10 P.M . This is Sting’s first time performing in Poland, most likely due to the peaceful philosophy of the event, as well as his involvement with various human rights organizations (specifically, Amnesty International)  involved with the festival.

According to Haaretz, festival organizers had no response when questioned about holding a concert in a space with such a controversial and violent history.

The Life Festival is in its third year, and previously featured performances by James Blunt and Peter Gabriel.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were also originally scheduled to perform, but have reportedly dropped out.