From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
1,000 Swedish musicians call for Israel to be banned from Eurovision
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
A group of more than 1,000 musicians in Sweden, which is hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, have signed a petition calling on Israel to be banned from the upcoming competition due to its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The petition accuses Israel of “war crimes” and slams the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the show, for what it calls a “remarkable double standard” in allowing Israel to compete despite banning Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Similar calls have also echoed from some groups in Iceland and Finland — which have urged their countries not to take part if Israel is competing. Sweden is hosting the contest after its contestant, Loreen, won last year’s competition.
The Swedish public broadcaster issues a statement following the petition, noting that “it is the EBU that decides who participates in the competition, and as the host country, SVT adheres to what the EBU decides.”
The EBU has repeatedly rebuffed such calls, and said that Israel will be allowed to participate in the competition in Malmo this May. So far, no countries have dropped out over Israel’s inclusion.
Israel will select its 2024 representative for the song contest next week, and will announce its song in March.
