The Eurovision singing contest in Malmö, Sweden is less than a month away, and with the war in Gaza still ongoing, many have demanded that the competition boycott Israel. After Israel decided to take part in the contest despite its original song being thrown out due to "political messaging," there has been a flurry of threats and harassment surrounding Israeli singer Eden Golan. As a result, the European Broadcasting Union issued an unusual announcement.
"The European Broadcasting Union recognizes the depth of emotions and the strong opinions that this year's Eurovision contest has evoked against the background of a terrible war in the Middle East," reads the official statement. "We have noticed the targeted social media campaigns against some of our participating artists."
The union notes that the decision to take part in the Eurovision contest is the sole responsibility of the administrative bodies of the European Broadcasting Union, and not of the artists themselves: "These artists come to Eurovision to share the music, the culture and the universal message of unity through the language of music. The EBU previously explained "the reasons for the inclusion of the Israel Broadcasting Union and the differences between them and previous participants who were excluded."
The union emphasized that along with supporting freedom of expression and right to express an opinion in a democratic society, they oppose violence and threats against the contest's participants, especially Eden Golan: "We strongly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals related to the competition. This is completely unacceptable and unfair, considering the fact that the artists have no role in this decision," it pointed out.
"We call on everyone to engage in a respectful and constructive dialogue and support the artists who work tirelessly - on what is a music show and entertainment - to share their music with the world," reads the end of the official statement.