The call by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement is part of a broader campaign to pressure governments, companies, performers and academics to disengage from Israel.
The movement sees Eurovision “as artwashing - whitewashing through arts” of what it calls Israel’s decades-old regime of military occupation and colonialism, its co-founder Omar Barghouti told Reuters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
“We take this Eurovision issue very seriously,” he said. “We are very conscious of how the Israeli government is dying to have such a mega cultural event.”
Israel was chosen to host the 42-nation contest after local singer Netta Barzilai won last year in Portugal with “Toy”, propelling her to international stardom. The winning country customarily hosts the following year.
On Tuesday the BDS appeal received support from British celebrities including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, actresses Julie Christie and Maxine Peake and singer Peter Gabriel.
They were among 50 signatories of a letter to left-leaning newspaper The Guardian calling on the BBC to “press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed.”
Note EU-Digest: It seems that given the fact that Britain is at the verge of falling apart as a result of the political chaos in the country with Brexit, the fact that the Eurovision is held in Tel Aviv, or not, should be the last thing on the minds of the British public at large.
Read more at: Boycott Israel's 'artwashed' Eurovision 2019, pro-Palestinian activists say | Reuters
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