The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) seems to have censored Portuguese Eurovision entry Iolanda’s performance due to what they deemed to be “pro-Palestine motifs” on her nails. According to reports, the EBU replaced Iolanda’s final video with footage from her previous performance, where she was wearing plain white nails. The singer had reportedly painted her nails with keffiyeh patterns, a Palestinian scarf. The reason for changing the video was conveyed to the Portuguese national broadcaster, RTP, who said it was due to the “competitor having pro-Palestine motifs painted on her nails.” RTP has threatened to lodge a “formal protest” against the EBU if they conclude that Iolanda was “discriminated against.”
Iolanda is not the only contestant who has experienced censorship by the EBU due to the political neutrality clause. Irish contestant Bambie Thug was forced to remove a pro-Palestine message from their costume some hours before rehearsals. Bambie had planned to wear the words ‘ceasefire’ and ‘freedom for Palestine’ on their costume. However, they had to remove these messages hours before their rehearsals. The EBU informed them that if they did not remove “ceasefire,” they would not be allowed on stage. Bambie’s video was also removed from TikTok, which showed them removing the pro-Palestine message. The contestant responded with “It’s f*cked up” about the whole incident.
This year’s Eurovision has been marked with controversy due to the EBU’s political neutrality clause. Despite some calls for a boycott, Israel was included in this year’s contest, given their role in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The EBU had reserved the right to remove Palestinian flags and symbols. However, performers like Iolanda and Bambie Thug still managed to call for peace and love at the end of their songs, with the duo also sporting nail styles with Palestinian flag colors and symbols on them.
In other news, Swiss entry Nemo became the first non-binary Eurovision winner last night. The contest was held amidst raging debate about watching Eurovision 2024 and the EBU’s difficulty in enforcing its political neutrality clause
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