Eurovision Bosses Rebuke Guest Singer For Wearing Palestinian Garment During Performance

  (The Huffington Post) : Eric Saade on stage during the first of this year's Eurovision semi-finals Eurovision bosses have spoken out after guest singer Eric Saade incorporated a traditional Palestinian garment into his semi-final stage outfit. Before this year’s acts each sang for the first time on Tuesday night, the semi-final got underway with a medley of old Eurovision hits performed by finalists including Eric, Eleni Foureira and Chanel. While performing his hit Popular, the Swedish singer – who is of Palestinian descent – was seen sporting a keffiyeh wrapped around his wrist. Following Eric’s performance, a spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, rebuked the singer for what they described as a “compromise” of the “non-political nature of the event”. “The Eurovision Song Contest is a live TV show,” they said (via ITV News). “All performers are made aware of the rules of the contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.” Posting on his Instagram story after the semi-final, Eric wrote: “Reminder – it’s only love.” Referencing this year’s Eurovision slogan, he added: “United By Music it is.” Eric shared this message with his Instagram followers on Tuesday night Eric subsequently issued a statement in Swedish to SVT, which has been translated by one fan on X to read: “I got this [keffiyeh] from my father as a little boy, to never forget where our family is from. Back then I didn’t know that it would one day be called a ‘political symbol’. “It’s like calling ‘Dalahästen’ [a traditional Swedish ..