He Eurovision Festival 2025 He concluded this Saturday in Basel with Austria’s victory, represented by the singer JJafter an edition marked by the controversy about the presence of Israel in the contest in full military offensive in Gaza.
The controversy intensified when, hours before the start of the final, the public entity Spanish Radiotelevisión (RTVE) He spread new Palestinian support messages Despite having received the threat of a sanction for violating the norms of political neutrality of the musical contest.
This year the artist acted on behalf of Israel Yuval Raphaelsurvivor of Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, who received boos at different times of the contest and finally remained in second place with 357 points, far from the 436 of the Austrian winner.
During the action of the Israeli Two proportorous activists tried to get on stagebut they were intercepted, while another sprayed a security agent with red paint.
In addition, hours before the end of Saturday, protests against Israel took place in the Basel center.
RTVE challenged Eurovision
Shortly before the Eurovision 2025 final, the RTVE public corporation posted on social networks a video with black background and white lyrics in which it was read: “Silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine”.
The message was shared both in the official accounts of the chain and that of the President of RTVE, just before the start of broadcast from Basel.
The gesture was interpreted as a direct response to the warning issued by the European Broadcasting Union (UER), organizer of the festival,
Days before the Uuer had alerted the Spanish delegation that RTVE It was exposed to a “punitive fine” If you repeated comments similar to those made during the second semifinal, issued on Thursday, May 15.
In it, Spanish public television commentators Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar alluded to the “More than 50,000” Palestinian deaths in Gaza.
In her warning, the URU recalled that the norms of the festival expressly prohibit political statements, and stressed that “the figures of victims have no place in an entertainment program” in which it is necessary to guarantee a “neutral, safe, inclusive and respectful environment.
The agency has reiterated on numerous occasions its intention to preserve the neutrality of Eurovision, defending the apolitical character of the contest and its motto “United for Music”and considers that any political statement can compromise the essence of the contest, focused on music as an element of unity between countries.
The warning was addressed to Ana María Bordas, head of the Spanish delegation, after mentioning the number of victims in the second semifinal.
In response, RTVE’s informative advice expressed concern about what they described as a threat to freedom of expression.
In a statement, they defended the right of commentators to inform “Freedom and responsibility” And they condemned “any attempt to interference”, underlining the public entity’s commitment to truthful information against facts of international relevance.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
