(AFP, Malmö, Sweden, 8th) A Swedish singer wore a Palestinian Arab scarf (keffiyeh) around her wrist during her opening performance at the Eurovision Song Contest last night, breaking a ban on political connotations The organizer apologized for this today.
The performance of the Swedish singer Eric Saade, one of the opening acts of the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest last night, became the most controversial act of the night. In the end, Ukraine and Croatia advanced to the finals.
This year’s event faced calls from the outside world to boycott Israel because of the war in Gaza, but the organizers refused. Thousands of people are expected to attend Temba rallies throughout the week in Malmo, the venue of the competition.
When Sade Eric, whose father is of Palestinian descent, took the stage, he wore an Arab headscarf symbolizing Palestine and Arabia on his wrist. He had said before the show that he wanted to stage some kind of protest against Israel’s admission.
Swedish Television (SVT) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the main organiser, condemned Sade Eric’s actions.
“It’s a shame that he got involved like this,” Ebba Adielsson, executive producer of the game for Swedish television, told AFP.
Other situations in the competition included contestants calling for a ceasefire in Gaza or making anti-Israel comments, but were informed by the organizers not to include political messages during their performances.
It is said that, for security reasons, the organizers have asked the Israeli player, Eden Golan, to stay in a Malmo hotel room that has fallen into hiding before his second semi-final tomorrow.
Demonstrations calling for Israel’s expulsion from the Eurovision Song Contest are expected to take place in Malmo around the time of Eden Golan’s performance. (Translator: Li Peishan / Verification: Chen Zhengyi)
#singer #takes #stage #express #support #Palestinian #Eurovision #Song #Contest #organizer #apologizes
