Eurovision organizers criticize Swedish singer Eric Saade for his decision to wear a Palestinian keffiyeh on his wrist during his performance in the opening act of the song contest’s first semifinal in Sweden tonight.
In response to a request for comment by The Times of Israel, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) notes that the show is live and that “all performers are made aware of the rules of the contest.”
The EBU says that “we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”
Saade did not wear the keffiyeh in his rehearsals for the show. All contestants and performers are barred from making political statements or wearing political symbols or flags of nations not competing in the competition.
Saade, whose father is Palestinian and who is not a contestant this year, was invited to perform in the opening act of the first semifinal, and was heavily critical of the EBU last week, calling its ban on Palestinian flags “disgraceful.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
