Slovenia to air Palestine docs instead of Eurovision to protest Israel inclusion
A past protest against Eurovision (Getty Images)
Slovenia has announced that it will air films and documentaries about Palestine instead of the Eurovision Song Contest this year in protest against Israel’s inclusion in the competition.
The European country had already announced that it would not submit an act or song for the competition. Broadcaster RTVSLO then shared on 23 April that it would implement a broadcasting blackout.
Speaking to AP, RTV Slovenia’s director Ksenija Horvat said: “We will not be broadcasting the Eurovision song contest. We will be airing the film series ‘Voices of Palestine’, featuring Palestinian documentaries and feature films.”
Slovenia joins Ireland and Spain in not airing the music competition, both of which also declined to submit a national entry. Ireland announced its decision in December last year, while Spain shared the news last week.
Spain’s RTVE officials said on 16 April that the contest’s mission of neutrality had become “impossible to maintain”. Furthermore, they described the event’s current climate as one of “political distrust”.
Spain is one of Eurovision’s ‘Big Five’ – the countries whose broadcasters are the contest’s biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The ‘Big Five’, as well as Spain, includes the UK, France, Germany, and Italy.
The Netherlands and Iceland have also declined to submit a national entry in protest, but the contest is still set to air on both countries’ national broadcasters, NPO and RÚV, respectively as of now.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Vienna, Austria, from 12-16 May. This is after Austrian singer JJ won last year with his operatic ballad, ‘Wasted Love’.
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