Will.i.am has issued a thoughtful and measured statement about the attack on Perez Hilton outside a Toronto Club over the weekend, allegedly by Polo Molina, the manager of Will’s band The Black Eyed Peas. Perez was quick to cry victim after the incident, in which he was he was punched in the face by a bystander after he called Will the anti-gay f-word. In contrast, Will.i.am put out two very reasonable video blogs explaining his role in the situation. He claims he simply asked Perez to be more respectful of his band and his friend Fergie, and that he was treated to the f-word for it. Will said that he had no role in the attack on Perez and that it was misleading for Perez to tweet that he was responsible.

In response to all the media coverage of the incident, Will.i.am has issued a very straightforward statement condemning both violence and verbal attacks. Again, he is coming across as the more astute party. Compare Will’s simple statement, below, to Perez’s long non-apology in which he continues to play the victim:

I will not continue to comment specifically on the incident that happened in Toronto last weekend… But I would hate for my silence to be misconstrued… I do not condone harassment or violence of any kind…

No one deserves physical abuse…
And no one deserves verbal abuse…
No one deserves that…

Everyone needs to be respected…
And no ones name should be slandered in the name of hate and disrespect…
And fyi…”not every black man is a thug”…

As far as character allegations made against myself,
The members of the Black Eyed Peas,
And members of our management…
I believe that the truth will speak for itself once the details of the events are fully presented.

Hateful slurs…
Racial or gay should not be used as verbal weapons to provoke violence…

Let us all learn from the events that happened in Toronto…
That situation has already taken valuable time, energy,
And attention away from more important,
And in some cases, devastating issues happening in our world.
Thank you…
will.i.am

[From Will.i.am via Just Jared]

Perez justified calling Will a f*g by saying “I made the split second decision that I was going to say the worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear.” The word “thug” is considered by many people to be a racist term. What’s more is that Perez implied that “thugs” are necessarily homophobic.

Perez is predictably suing the manager of the Black Eyed Peas for hitting him in the eye several times. He’s asking for over $25,000. Of course he never should have been hit, but I hope he doesn’t get a dime and incurs significant legal fees:

The celebrity blogger, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, sued the Peas’ road manager in Los Angeles for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking unspecified damages of more than $25,000.

The suit states Hilton is seeking to protect his rights to free speech and claims Polo Molina attacked him because he made critical comments about the Black Eyed Peas’ new album. Molina was arrested in Toronto early Monday after he allegedly punched Hilton following a heated argument between the blogger and Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am.

An e-mail sent to the group’s publicist was not immediately returned Wednesday. Molina is due to appear in court Aug. 5.

“Perez Hilton was assaulted by the band’s road manager because he would not agree to stop writing about the Black Eyed Peas on his Web site Perezhilton.com,” Bryan Freedman, Hilton’s lawyer, said in a statement. “Whether you love Perez or hate him, he is entitled to his freedom of speech without fear of physical violence. This lawsuit will make the statement that violence is never the answer.”

The lawsuit details the events leading up to Molina’s alleged attack on the blogger.

The complaint states Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie approached Hilton on Saturday and asked why he was writing “mean” things about her and the group. Hilton replied that he was “simply being honest and truthful about his opinions of them,” according to the lawsuit.

On Sunday, Hilton claims he was pushed by an unidentified member of the Black Eyed Peas’ entourage, who “slammed his shoulder into Hilton’s shoulder and thereafter pushed him.”

The lawsuit claims Fergie again approached him at an afterparty for the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday night and that his argument with will.i.am happened at another party. The lawsuit claims the blogger was trying to leave that party when Molina punched him at least three times.

“Lavandeira sustained injury to his eye and was bleeding as a result of this violent and malicious attack,” the lawsuit claims.

His damage claims include medical costs and damages due to “humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress.” The lawsuit also claims that Molina is on probation in California for a drunken driving conviction under his real name, Liborio Molina.

[From AP via the Huffington Post]

In his statement following the attack Perez expressed outrage that some suggested he “had it coming,” asking “Would they have said the same thing if I was a woman?” He also brought up the brutal beating of Rihanna while being interviewed on a Toronto radio station (link to audio) and said he was always sympathetic to her on his blog, as if that had anything to do with getting beat up outside a bar for hurling a slur at someone. There is very little comparison between the two, in my opinion. The guy was talking smack and he got punched for it. As Kelly Clarkson said “I don’t think anyone should be punched and I’m not about violence but I see why someone would do it.”

Will.i.am and Fergie are shown performing on 6/13/09. Perez is shown on 6/15/09. Credit: WENN.com