Eurovision Required a Nonbinary Irish Singer to Remove Pro-Palestine Messages Before Performing

James Factora
·2 min read
9

Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images

The European Broadcast Union (EBU) reportedly told nonbinary Irish musician Bambie Thug to remove pro-Palestine messages from their costume during Wednesday night’s Eurovision semi-final.

Using the early medieval Irish alphabet Ogham, the singer-songwriter wrote the words “Ceasefire” and “Saoirse Don Phalistin,” the latter of which translates from Irish Gaelic to “freedom for Palestine,” on their face and legs, per the Irish Examiner. But before Bambie Thug took the stage in Malmö, Sweden on Tuesday night, they were ordered by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to change the markings before their performance. The Ogham alphabet is represented by various strokes and lines. To those not familiar with the script, which was used from the 5th to 9th centuries, it would look like a collection of lines of various orientations.

When asked about the messages at a post-show press conference, the artist said that including them “was very important to me because I’m pro-justice and pro-peace.”

“Unfortunately I had to change those messages today to ‘crown the witch’ only, in order from the EBU,” they said — a reference to a phrase that has become something of a “campaign slogan” for them as they compete in the multinational contest.

A spokesperson for the EBU told the Examiner that the body markings “contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.”

“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show,” the spokesperson added.

The EBU also expressed “regret” that Swedish contestant Eric Saade wore a keffiyeh on his arm during the opening act, once again citing the “non-political nature of the event.” The garment is a symbol of Palestinian identity, and has been adopted by people around the world as a way of showing solidarity with people in Gaza

Despite the EBU’s claim that Eurovision is a “non-political” event, the competition excluded Russia in 2022 due to its invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, musicians have brought political messages to the Eurovision stage for decades, as noted by The Guardian in February.

Eurovision faced widespread calls to ban Israel from competition this year, including separate open letters from hundreds of Swedish and Belgian musicians. When it became clear that the EBU would not exclude Israel from participating, LGBTQ+ organizations around the world called for broadcasters, competitors, workers, and viewers to boycott the annual song contest.

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