The Israeli offensive on Gaza is sparking a wave of protests in artistic circles in the Nordic countries and Europe. While Israel has announced its candidate for Eurovision, thousands of Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian artists are calling for the Jewish state to be banned from this major musical competition which is to take place in Malmö, Sweden, in May.
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With our correspondent in Stockholm, Carlotta Morteo
A nomination which comes as thousands of Nordic artists, from Iceland to Finland, have sent petitions in recent months, between December and January, to the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition, to ask it to exclude Israel from the competition as Russia was, following the aggression of Ukraine.
In Norway, artists dressed in bloody doctors’ coats, carrying fake babies in their arms, demonstrated ten days ago to ask the Norwegian public broadcaster to boycott Eurovision this year.
In Sweden, a recent column was signed by 1,500 Swedish artists, including the pop singer Robyn, the duo First Aid Kit and the rapper Timbuktu, in which it is written: “ Welcoming countries that place themselves above humanitarian law and authorizing them to participate in international cultural events trivializes violations of the law and makes the suffering of victims invisible. »
The Eurovision organization advocates a line “ apolitical », while she has continued to be caught up in the news in recent years.
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