Eurovision semi-final: Bambie Thug forced to modify his pro-Palestinian message

Bambie Thug earned a spot in the final on Saturday with his song Doomsday Blue during Tuesday’s semi-final in Malmö, Sweden.

The Cork-born singer, 31, told a press conference he was forced to change his body paint to Ogham script – an early medieval alphabet – which translates to ceasefire and freedom .

They said: “It was very important to me because I am pro-justice and pro-peace. Unfortunately, I had to edit these posts today to ‘crown the witch’ (which was an) order from the EBU.”

A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union said: “The writing visible on Bambie Thug’s body during press rehearsals violated competition rules designed to protect the apolitical nature of the event.

“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to modify the text of the live performance.”

First part

Despite the organisers’ stance, former Swedish Eurovision contestant and opening act Eric Saade (below) wore a keffiyeh – a traditional headdress and common symbol of support for Palestine – during his performance.

The EBU said it “regrets” that Saade chose to wear this fabric and “chose to compromise the apolitical nature of the event”.

He previously appeared to attack the restrictions, questioning whether the freedom was “controversial” and why people continue to ask whether it is “political.”

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Organizers have already stood by their decision not to exclude Israel from this year’s event – rejecting calls for a boycott.

Some supporters have called for a ban on Israel amid the ongoing bombing of Gaza, saying excluding Israel would have been a “political decision.”

Her entry is singer Eden Golan, who will sing Hurricane. Its original track, October Rain, had to be scrapped because its lyrics were widely interpreted as a reference to the Hamas attacks of October 7.

During the semi-final, British entrant Olly Alexander (above) marked the first time the UK had performed at this stage with his debut rendition of Dizzy.

The final will take place this Saturday.