Madonna was determined to speak out about the plight of Romany gypsies after her backing musicians told her of the scandal in eastern Europe.
The Material Girl was performing in Bucharest, Romania on Wednesday (26Aug09) when she urged the 60,000-strong crowd to fight prejudice against travellers.
She told fans the "discrimination" suffered by the gypsies makes her feel "very sad".
The comments sparked a mixed reaction, with large sections of the audience jeering - but the pop superstar was later praised by Hindu and Jewish leaders for highlighting the issue.
Now Madonna has revealed her reasons for the remarks - several members of her stage band told her about the controversy.
The singer's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says, "Madonna has been touring with a phenomenal troupe of Roma musicians who made her aware of the discrimination toward them in several countries so she felt compelled to make a brief statement."
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