Spanish state broadcaster, RTVE, aired a message Saturday in support of Palestine ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland.
It demanded “peace and justice for Palestine” and criticized the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for threatening sanctions.
Before transitioning to the live broadcast of the competition, RTVE displayed a message in Spanish and English that read: “When it comes to human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.”
The gesture gained widespread support on social media.
RTVE referenced Israel’s killing of more than 50,000 victims in the Gaza Strip during the contest’s second semifinal, prompting a warning from the EBU that it could face penalties for the references.
Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela, RTVE presenters, commented on a pre-performance video about Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael. “This year, RTVE asked Eurovision to debate Israel’s participation in the contest.”
“According to the UN, the number of victims of Israeli attacks in Gaza exceeds 50,000, including more than 15,000 children,” they said. “This is not a petition against any country, but a call for peace, justice, and respect for human rights.”
Following pressure from the government’s coalition partner, Sumar, RTVE formally requested in April that the EBU open a discussion on Israel’s participation in Eurovision, but the proposal was rejected.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.