Several dozen protesters invaded the headquarters of Finnish public television Yle this Saturday to demand a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest final due to Israel’s presence.
In videos broadcast by various Finnish media, activists can be seen sitting on the floor holding banners with phrases such as “Boycott Eurovision” or “Stop Genocide” written on them.
Protesters claim Israel is using Eurovision as a platform to whitewash its image, featuring singer Eden Golan.
“Yle must defend its values today, and not in a controversial and hypocritical way, only in certain specific contexts. Nothing justifies Yle participating in Eurovision if Israel takes part,” the activists said in a statement.
A demonstration against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and the end of the war in the Gaza Strip is planned for this Saturday afternoon in Malmo, Sweden, where the final of the festival is taking place.
In January, a group of Finnish musicians asked Yle to pressure the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exclude Israel from the competition due to the situation in the Gaza Strip.
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will take place this Saturday in Malmö, with 26 countries taking part: Sweden, Ukraine, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Greece, Great Britain, Norway , Italy. , Serbia, Finland, Portugal, Armenia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, France and Austria.
The Eurovision Song Contest is marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for decades but intensified following the October 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas in Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people. Benjamin Netanyahu responded with an offensive that killed more than 34,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from both sides.
Since it became known that Israel, represented by Eden Golan, will be participating in the competition, political representatives and European artists have made several requests to the EBU to veto the country’s participation in the competition.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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