BBC criticized for selecting Eurovision contestant who accused Israel of ‘genocide’
Olly Alexander signed on to letter in October blaming ‘unthinking philosemitism’ for those hesitating to criticize war against Hamas; Israeli embassy slams ‘dehumanizing language’
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
The BBC has come under fire this week for selecting a Eurovision contestant for next year’s song contest who has accused Israel of being an “apartheid regime” and of carrying out ethnic cleansing.
Olly Alexander, 33, was chosen earlier this week by the UK’s public broadcaster to represent the country at the international music competition in Sweden in May.
Following his selection, news outlets reported that he had signed onto a letter in October issued by the LGBTQ activist group Voices4London that accused Israel of a “genocide” in Gaza and claimed that the “Israeli government continues to wipe out entire lineages of Palestinian families.”
The ongoing conflict, the letter stated, is simply “an escalation of the state of Israel’s apartheid regime, which acts to ethnically cleanse the land.” It also suggested that “unthinking philosemitism, which hesitates to criticise an ongoing genocide out of fear of being seen to criticise Jewish people, is simply the other face of antisemitism.”
The BBC, which has faced a wave of criticism over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, was slammed by the UK ruling Conservative Party, the Israeli Embassy and other groups over the selection of Alexander.
The UK Telegraph reported that the BBC “does not plan to take any action” since Alexander signed the letter in October, before he was selected as the country’s Eurovision entrant. Participants in the competition are ostensibly meant to avoid making political statements, but the contest is inevitably tied up in geopolitics each year.
The Israeli Embassy in the UK tweeted Thursday that “Clearly [Alexander] graduated from the Middle Eastern School of TikTok. We would be happy to arrange a trip for you to visit the #October7thMassacre sites in Israel, where the rights of LGBTQ+ are celebrated, protected and cherished. Unfortunately, our neighbours can’t guarantee the same.”
A spokesman for the embassy also told the Telegraph that “yet again, the BBC has fallen well short of its moral responsibility to adhere to the standard of due impartiality,” and said the selection of Alexander following his endorsing “dehumanizing language of Israelis is a major cause for concern.”
The UK-based Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote on X that: “When nearly seven in ten British Jews feel afraid to express their identity in public, [Alexander] must not be the person to represent our country.”
A source in the Conservative Party was quoted by the Telegraph as saying that “letting an openly anti-Israel singer compete on the same stage as Israel is either a massive oversight or sheer brass neck from the BBC,” adding that “after they refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization, you would think BBC bosses would try to steer clear of causing any more diplomatic blunders.”
A spokesperson for the Kan public broadcaster, which oversees Israel’s participation in the contest, did not respond to a request for comment.
The BBC has faced a wave of criticism from Israeli and local officials over its refusal to label Hamas a terror group and its overall coverage of the conflict.
As international criticism of Israel’s operation in Gaza has grown over the past two months, some have called for the country to be barred from competing in next year’s Eurovision, with many pointing to the exclusion of Russia since it invaded Ukraine last year.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes and oversees the competition, has resisted any such calls, reaffirming that Israel will be taking part in next year’s contest.
Israel — whose contestant Noa Kirel came in third place during the contest in Liverpool earlier this year — is slated to select its entrant through a war-delayed season of the reality TV singing competition “The Next Star.”
The Jewish state has been competing in the international competition since 1973, and has won four times: in 1978, with Izar Cohen’s “A-ba-ni-bi”; in 1979, with Milk and Honey’s “Hallelujah”; in 1998, with Dana International’s “Diva”; and in 2018, with Netta Barzilai’s “Toy.”
