There Irish singer-songwriter Bambie Thug who yesterday – with the song ‘Doomsday Blue’ – won a place in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, criticized the organizers of the competition for the request to edit a message considered pro-Palestinian. During a press conference in Malmo, the 31-year-old from Cork expressed her criticism towards the organizers of the event for having asked her to change an element of her stage make-up. The trick in question included a written in Ogham script, an ancient Irish alphabet, which translated meant “ceasefire and freedom”. A message interpreted as a reference to the situation in Gaza and the inclusion of Israel in the competition. “It was very important to me because I am for justice and peace,” the artist said.
The request for change by the organizers, however, is based on the Eurovision rules. A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) declared that “the writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during the dress rehearsal contravenes the rules of the competition which are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event”. The organization had previously warned that Palestinian flags and symbols would not be allowed in the Malmö Arena.
However, Swedish singer Eric Saade, whose father is Palestinian and who is not competing this year, performed with a keffiyeh on his wrist. The organizers expressed their regret at Saade’s rule-breaking gesture which he “chose to compromise the apolitical nature of the event”.
