Belgian TV halts Eurovision broadcast in Israel protest, calls for human rights action
Before the Eurovision broadcast commenced, Belgian television took a stand with a message. VRT1 station announced its decision to protest against Israel's human rights abuses. A unique statement was released to the public.
On Thursday, 9 May, the second semi-final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest began, drawing attention to Israeli representative Eden Golan. Her performance was highly anticipated due to the controversy surrounding her song, which led to calls for Israel's disqualification from the contest.
The controversy stems from Golan's song "October Rain," which alludes to the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October the previous year. The song's title and lyrics, filled with references to flowers symbolizing the conflict's victims, were seen as a breach of Eurovision's "political neutrality" rules by the organizers.
In the end, the lyrics and the song's title were changed to "Hurricane." Still, Golan faced a chilly reception from the audience, evident in videos from Wednesday's dress rehearsal that surfaced on social media, showing her being booed.
A statement from Belgian television
VRT1, a Belgian television network, broadcasted a strong message before Eurovision, critiquing Israel's human rights record.
"We condemn the human rights violations by the state of Israel and its assault on press freedom. Consequently, we are momentarily halting the broadcast. #StopArms #StopGenocide" - the statement succinctly put it.
On Tuesday morning, it was reported that Israeli armed forces had assumed control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, with special forces surveying the area. In the past three days, over 80,000 civilians and various international organizations have evacuated Rafah, which continues to be bombarded.
