Organisers of the Eurovision song contest have hit out at “targeted social media campaigns” against competitors amid reports of threats against the singer for Israel.
This year’s competition, to take place in May in Sweden, has been rocked by controversy over Israel’s participation at a time when its war with Hamas has left Gaza in tatters.
The European Broadcasting Union acknowledged in a statement “the depth of feeling and the strong opinions that this year’s Eurovision song contest – set against the backdrop of a terrible war in the Middle East – has provoked”.
While expressing understanding that “people will want to engage in debate and express their deeply held views on this matter”, it raised concerns about “targeted social media campaigns” against some artists.
The statement did not name the performers in questions, but it came amid reports that Israeli singer Eden Golan, 20, has received death threats through her Instagram account.
“While we strongly support freedom of speech and the right to express opinions in a democratic society, we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest,” the EBU statement said.
Targeting Eurovision artists was “unacceptable and totally unfair”, it said.
It highlighted that “the decision to include any broadcaster, including the Israeli broadcaster Kan, in the Eurovision song contest is the sole responsibility of the EBU’s governing bodies and not that of the individual artists”.
“These artists come to Eurovision to share their music, culture and the universal message of unity through the language of music.”
Israel’s public broadcaster is an EBU member and can therefore take part in the Eurovision contest.
The EBU did however force Israel to change the lyrics of Golan’s song October Rain, deeming it too political, which is against Eurovision rules.
The initial entry was widely considered to reference the victims of Hamas’s 7 October attack in Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.
But last month, Eurovision agreed she could take part with a second entry, Hurricane, which features the same music but different lyrics.
EBU said it was “dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment for all participants, staff and fans of the Eurovision song contest”.
“We urge everyone to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue and support the artists who are working tirelessly – on what is a music and entertainment show – to share their music with the world.”