Spain’s public broadcaster defied Eurovision Song Contest organisers on Saturday to air a message in support of Palestinians – despite being warned to avoid references to the Gaza offensive.
Ahead of the final, RTVE displayed the following text in white on a black background: “When it comes to human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.”
The European Broadcasters Union (EBU) had explicitly asked the Spanish broadcaster not to refer to the Gaza war due to the non-political nature of the competition. If RTVE chose to ignore this, “penalties” would be incurred, it said in a letter, which RTVE published.
“Political statements that could jeopardize the neutrality of the competition are prohibited,” the letter stated.
According to Spanish media reports, the letter was triggered by a complaint from the Israeli public broadcaster KAN. KAN complained that in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday evening, Spanish presenters had referred to the deaths caused by Israel’s actions in Gaza during the performance of Israeli candidate Yuval Raphael.
The EBU confirmed that it had been made clear to RTVE that the commentators must maintain neutrality.
In Basel, which hosted the contest, pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed briefly with riot police. Blows were exchanged and officers deployed tear gas.
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Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, recognised the State of Palestine in May 2024, followed by Slovenia in June.
The Spanish government is one of the most critical voices in the EU against Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government.
