The Eurovision Song Contest has lifted its ban on waving Palestinian flags in the audience after facing backlash for prohibiting them in 2024, however restrictions are still in place regarding what can be shown on stage, according to Danish media reports.
The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) obtained this year's official policy on national and political emblems, which states audience are members allowed to wave any flag permitted under Swiss law during the grand final on 17 May.
Items that feature discriminatory and racist content, symbols that incite hatred or violence, flags that can be considered offensive or defamatory, or promote known terrorist organisations will be banned.
DR reported the new policy says "political messages should be avoided", noting that the host country Switzerland has a "high value on freedom of expression".
While the rules have laxed for the audience, the artists have been hit with stricter restrictions.
Only flags of the country the artists are representing are allowed in official Eurovision spaces and any related events, including the stage, green room, turquoise carpet, and Eurovision Village stage. This means artists are not allowed to wave the Pride, European Union or Palestinian flags.
Only pride flags and flags of competing countries were allowed for the audience last year, while "clothes, items, or posters that can be used as instruments to be shown on television screens" featuring pro-Palestinian symbolism were subject to a potential ban.
Speaking to CNN, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said the updated policy is "for reasons of visual clarity and neutrality," to ensure that "it is immediately clear which country is being represented."
Sweden's contestant Eric Saade performed with a keffiyeh on his arm during the 2024 semifinals.
Israel's presence in Gaza has been a big topic for the contest as the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that Israel can participate in the competition, despite calls for the state to be banned over its ongoing offensive.
Israel's representative for this year's competition, Yuval Raphael, an alleged 7 October survivor, is set to perform a song about the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack, despite Eurovision's ban on political messages.