The musician was seen wearing a keffiyeh on his arm, a symbol commonly used to show support for Palestine.

In reponse, a representative of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a statement: “All performers are made aware of the rules of the contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”

Despite facing criticism for its decision not to exclude Israel and worldwide protests condemning the organizers’ choice, the competition maintained its stance.

“Politics does influence the event from time to time,” said Paul Jordan, a contest enthusiast and researcher who was part of its communications team from 2015 to 2018, in an interview with CNN.

However, he noted, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event.”

The news comes during Israel’s seizure and closure of the Rafah crossing in Gaza, which has raised concerns that already-scarce food and medical supplies will be further depleted and lead to a “catastrophic” humanitarian disaster.

  • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    unless you have a plan to separate one from the other somehow

    Spoken like a true zionist bombing civilians because everyone on Gaza is Hamas. Specially children, journalists and aid workers.

    • Ooops@kbin.social
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      7 months ago

      Thank you for perfectly demonstrating my point. You are an idiot thinking this is a team sport, “your” side is right and everybody not sharing your exact opinion is wrong and the enemy.

      And because everyone is the same on that “other side” I somehow become a zionist bombing civilians in your alternative world view, although I could impossibly qualify for that definition by any degree.

      And also because everything on your side needs to be righteous you twist reality to fit your view. I explicitly asked how to effectively separate Palestinian civilians in Gaza from their de facto Hamas governmemnt. Yet somehow in your brain that question translated to the exact opposite of what I actually said: That somehow every civilan in Gaza is part of Hamas.

      Seriously… how fucked up is your delusion that things you read instantly transform to mean something completely different, just so they fit the imaginary point you are trying to make?