https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/campaigners-urge-bbc-boycott-eurovision
JJ, from Austria, stands on the stage with his trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025THE BBC was called on yesterday to follow a host of national broadcasters and boycott the Eurovision Song Contest, after organisers voted to include Israel despite its ongoing slaughter in Gaza.
The European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) initiative has already led to Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands withdrawing, with Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE the latest to join the boycott.
Ireland premier Micheal Martin said he “fully understands” RTE’s boycott as “an act of solidarity with those journalists who were killed in breach of international humanitarian law during the war in Gaza.”
Noting RTE’s editorial independence, Tanaiste Simon Harris said: “By way of context, we’ve seen hundreds of journalists killed throughout this horrific conflict.
“We still today see a situation where there’s not free access by Israel for the media to get in to actually see the atrocities that have happened in Gaza and you can’t just forget or ignore the fact that a genocide has taken place in relation to Palestine.”
The decision split Northern Ireland’s leaders as they joined the British-Irish Council in Wales yesterday, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill making clear she “absolutely agrees with the decision.”
“I think it’s a right and appropriate decision to take,” she said.
“This is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time, when genocide prevails — and I think countries need to take action that actually sends a very strong message, and I think this is another one of those messages.”
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Adding his voice to the chorus calling for the BBC to withdraw from the contest, Scottish Greens culture spokesman Patrick Harvie, said: “This is a shameful decision and a dark day for the European Broadcasting Union.
“Once a symbol of unity and hope across Europe, they have turned the Eurovision Song Contest into a pink-washing front for war criminals in Israel.
“There can be no place for genocide enablers on the Eurovision stage, which is supposed to celebrate love and diversity.
“The atrocities inflicted against Palestinians in Gaza are among the worst crimes of this century and cannot be ignored and discarded in the name of entertainment.
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Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/campaigners-urge-bbc-boycott-eurovision
