Irish Eurovision Act Claims They Were Forced To Remove Pro-Palestinian Messages From Costume

  (The Huffington Post) : Eurovision star Bambie Thug performing on Tuesday night Irish Eurovision performer Bambie Thug has claimed they were made to remove messages of solidarity with Palestine from their stage outfit in the lead-up to their first performance of the competition. On Tuesday night, Bambie was one of 15 acts to compete in the first of this year’s two semi-finals, during which they became Ireland’s first qualifying act since 2018. During Eurovision rehearsals, the singer-songwriter has been seen sporting subtle messages of solidarity with Palestine – including “freedom for Palestine” and “ceasefire”, written in the ancient Celtic alphabet Ogham – on their body. However, these were not present when Bambie performed on Tuesday, which they said after the show was down to Eurovision organisers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Bambie told reporters at a post-show press conference these slogans were “very important for me because I am pro-justice and pro-peace”. “Unfortunately,” they added, “I had to change those messages today, to ‘Crown The Witch’ only… in order from the EBU.” ?? Bambie Thug has confirmed that the EBU required them to remove the words “Freedom for Palestine” and “Ceasefire” from their costume in order to perform in Semi-Final 1 of #Eurovision 2024. pic.twitter.com/28XMQXZiEX— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) May 7, 2024 An EBU rep told The Irish Mirror: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event. “After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to ..