Pressure is mounting on European broadcasters to boycott Israel’s participation within the Eurovision Song Contest due to the conflict in Gaza.
More than 27,000 folks have been killed in Israeli army motion, and over 66,000 have been injured since the battle started, in keeping with Gaza‘s Hamas-led well being ministry. Israel retaliated after Hamas fighters killed greater than 1,000 Israelis and took a whole lot of hostages in assaults on 7 October final 12 months.
It’s the second time politics has dominated Eurovision, after Russia was expelled from the 2022 contest over its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine went on to win the competitors.
Iceland is among the many nations contemplating whether or not to take part this 12 months. It has mentioned it is going to resolve whether or not or not to participate solely as soon as its consultant is chosen, with the method kicking off tonight.
The Icelandic Broadcasting Authority, RUV, shared a message on its web site, saying: “No decision will be made regarding Iceland’s participation in Eurovision until after the contest, and after consultation with the winner.
“The motive is the criticism that has arisen relating to Israel‘s participation within the contest, regardless of the conflict in Gaza.”
Iceland’s televised selection process, featuring 10 songs and artists, takes one month, with the results announced on 2 March. One of the contestants, Bashar Murad, is Palestinian.
Meanwhile, in Sweden more than 1,000 musicians – including Dancing On My Own singer Robyn – have written an open letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which organises Eurovision and SVT, which is the country’s host broadcaster, accusing them of “double requirements”.
Flagging Russia’s earlier exclusion from the competition, the Swedish musicians said it was their “obligation” as cultural practitioners to “result in change and counter artwashing”.
The letter concluded: “Allowing Israel’s participation undermines not solely the spirit of the competitors however your entire public service mission. It additionally sends the sign that governments can commit conflict crimes with out penalties. Therefore, we enchantment to the EBU: Exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.”
Over 1,500 artists in Finland have additionally urged their public broadcaster, Yle, to hitch the calls on the EBU to exclude Israel, calling it “a country that commits war crimes”.
The Finnish artists added {that a} nation which “continues a military occupation” mustn’t get “a public stage to polish its image in the name of music”.
Irish broadcaster RTE has additionally obtained a petition signed by greater than 500 folks setting out related calls for.
In Norway final month, semi-naked protesters knelt within the snow in entrance of the nation’s public broadcaster NRK to additionally demand Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision.
And in Spain, the chief of the left-wing occasion Podemos, Ione Belarra, has known as on the Spanish Congress to debate the removing of Israel from the competitors as a part of “a pressure tactic to halt the genocide against Palestinian people”.
She has registered a non-legal proposal to request the controversy, which if authorised would urge the Spanish authorities to “position itself clearly against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest”.
The EBU, which is a member-led organisation, headed by an government board, says Eurovision is a non-political occasion.
It provides that Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, “meets all the competition rules and can participate in the contest next year”.
The EBU has additionally mentioned Russia’s ban resulted from “persistent breaches of membership obligations and the violation of public service media values” by Russian broadcasters. Its relationship with KAN is “fundamentally different”, the EBU added.
Olly Alexander, of music act Years & Years, will symbolize the UK on this 12 months’s competitors.
Alexander has additionally taken a public stance towards Israel, and signed an open letter from LGBTQ+ activist group Voices4London, which known as for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to permit help into the world.
Noa Kirel, a former Israel Defence Forces soldier, represented Israel at Eurovision in Liverpool in 2023, ending in fourth place.
This 12 months’s competitors will probably be held in Malmo, Sweden, after Loreen gained the competitors for a second time. The closing will probably be held on 11 May.
Source: information.sky.com”