BBC 'bans UK Eurovision act from showing solidarity with Gaza'

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has reportedly barred the UK's Eurovision act, Remember Monday, from making any public expression of support for Palestinians in Gaza, drawing sharp backlash from rights advocates who see the move as part of a wider crackdown on solidarity with Gazans facing starvation and bombardment.

The country-pop trio, Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele, have been instructed to avoid "any political messaging", including references to the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, where more than a million people are now at risk of famine according to the UN, and where entire neighbourhoods have been flattened in what rights groups describe as a genocide.

The BBC’s reported directive came after renewed attention to the band's past social media support for Black Lives Matter, the Daily Mail reported.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners had hoped the group might use its platform to speak out as Gaza continues to face daily bombardment, a blockade on aid, and rising death tolls. But instead, a source close to the group told the British daily that they had been "banned from discussing politics at all".

Outrage grew louder as the 69th Eurovision Song Contest officially launched on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland, with a glittering parade overshadowed by mounting protests.

As contestants from 37 countries, including Israel, rode vintage trams through the historic city, demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, held signs reading "Don’t clap for genocide" and "Gaza is burning while we sing", and called on organisers to ban Israel from the event.

One protester raised a banner reading "Israel: Open Gaza’s borders. Let the aid in", while another was detained by Swiss police for waving a Palestinian flag too prominently.

"Israel has long used Eurovision as a propaganda platform. It’s shameful that cities like Basel stay silent. Eurovision needs to change," Swiss activist Birgit Altaler told AFP.

Despite banning Russia from the contest in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine, organisers have ignored widespread calls to suspend Israel in an apparent double standard that critics say undermines Eurovision's own claims to support peace and human rights.

Last year's winner, Swiss singer Nemo, joined calls to exclude Israel, telling HuffPost: "Israel’s actions fundamentally contradict the values Eurovision claims to uphold: peace, unity, and respect for human rights."

Yet instead of addressing these concerns, the BBC has chosen to tighten control over its own artists. Sources say Remember Monday have been pressured to keep quiet even in the face of public appeals from pro-Palestinian rights groups.

"It’s disgraceful," one UK campaigner told The New Arab. "This isn’t about politics. It’s about civilians starving to death in Gaza while the world plays music."