Eurovision has never been about politics, says BBC boss Tim Davie

Paul GlynnCulture reporterPABBC director common Tim Davie has mentioned the company is “conscious of the considerations” round Israel collaborating in subsequent yr’s Eurovision, including that the tune contest has “by no means been about politics”.Talking on Monday in entrance of parliament’s public accounts committee, Davie mentioned the BBC would “work with” Eurovision organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), on the difficulty.”Eurovision has by no means been about politics, it must be a celebration of music and tradition that brings folks collectively. We have to see what the printed union decides,” he added.Fellow broadcasters from Eire, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and now Spain have all threatened to boycott the occasion if Israel is allowed to participate over the nation’s actions in Gaza.”We’re very conscious of the considerations,” the BBC boss advised the committee. “It is clearly a well-debated subject and tough.”At this stage we’re supportive of the European Broadcast Union’s work. They’re going round discussing with members, working via all of the processes by which they’d be glad to decide by hook or by crook.”He added that it was “actually vital… that we attempt to protect” the celebratory ingredient of the competition.”However at this stage, I am supporting the European Broadcasting Union’s work, and they should get on with it.”Earlier this yr, greater than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling on the organisers to ban Israel from the 2025 competitors in Basel, which Austrian singer JJ received after a nail-biting end that noticed him topple Israel from pole place on the final minute.In consequence, subsequent summer season’s occasion might be held within the Austrian capital of Vienna.Getty ImagesNext summer season’s Eurovision tune contest will happen in Vienna, AustriaSpain’s Tradition Minister Ernest Urtasun has now mentioned Israel mustn’t participate within the subsequent Eurovision, repeating calls made by the nation’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, earlier this yr.In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Eire in acknowledging a Palestinian state and final week, Sánchez accused Israel of genocide and introduced a sequence of measures in opposition to it, together with an arms embargo.Israel’s Overseas Minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing Sanchez’s administration of being antisemitic and of utilizing “wild and hateful rhetoric”.In August, the UN-backed meals monitor, the IPC, confirmed that famine was going down in components of Gaza. Israel is accused of inflicting the famine via ongoing restrictions on meals and medical support coming into the territory.Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and because the occupying energy bears duty for safeguarding civilian life underneath worldwide legislation, which incorporates the prevention of hunger.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied hunger is going down in Gaza and has mentioned that the place there’s starvation, it’s the fault of support businesses and Hamas.Israel has often denied that its actions in Gaza quantity to genocide and says they’re justified as a way of self-defence.Israel launched its warfare in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, wherein about 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.At the least 64,871 folks have been killed in Israeli assaults in Gaza since then, in response to the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry.Political messagesRussia was banned from competing in Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.The EBU mentioned on the time that Russia’s inclusion might convey the competitors into disrepute “in gentle of the unprecedented disaster in Ukraine”.Earlier than making this determination, the EBU mentioned it had taken time to seek the advice of broadly amongst its membership.Ukraine went on to win the competition.Eurovision is cherished for its camp pop hits, hovering ballads and all the things inbetween.However through the years, artists have used their platform to ship delicate – and never so delicate – political messages.In 2023, Switzerland despatched an anti-war tune, Watergun, whereas Iceland have been fined €5,000 again in 2019 for flying a Palestinian flag in the course of the competitors. In 2016, Ukraine additionally received the occasion with a tune referred to as 1944 in regards to the ethnic cleaning of Crimean Tatars in that yr by Soviet forces.