Call for boycott of Eurovision for accepting Israel
Ione Belarra, leader of the far-left Podemos party in Spain—which moved to the opposition after withdrawing its support for the minority left-wing coalition government—has called on 'democratic countries to boycott Eurovision' because it has accepted Israel.
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The lyrics of the song 'October Rain', which represents Israel at Eurovision, have been changed, and Israel has been readmitted to the competition.
The song, renamed Hurricane, has been deemed to meet the necessary criteria for participation in its new form.
Podemos party leader Ione Belarra stated in a post on her X account, "If Israel, which is committing genocide, is going to Eurovision, then no country that defends human rights and is democratic should participate in Eurovision. This is a disgusting whitewashing."
The Podemos party has been making efforts since January to prevent Israel from participating in Eurovision due to the genocide it is committing in its attacks on Gaza.
SUBMITTED MOTION TO PARLIAMENT
Podemos, which submitted a motion to parliament requesting that the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation RTVE also take action through the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to encourage the expulsion of Israel from Eurovision, had failed to find sufficient support from other political parties for this.
Podemos also sent a letter to the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest along with European parliamentarians from some political parties in Spain, such as the United Left, the Galician Nationalist Bloc, and Sumar, requesting that Israel be banned from this year's competition due to its indiscriminate attacks in Gaza.