Britain’s Eurovision entrant Olly Alexander criticised for Gaza ceasefire calls

Britain’s Eurovision Song Contest entrant Olly Alexander has been criticised for wading into politics and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Olly Alexander joined entrants from eight other countries in calling for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” in the conflict, along with a release of all hostages held since the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Alexander had been under intense pressure from pro-Palestinian activists, including Maxine Peake, the actor, and Sarah Schulman, the playwright and novelist, calling on him to boycott the contest because of the inclusion of Israel.

His call for a ceasefire is likely to be seen as an attempt to placate activists while maintaining his wider fan base who want to see him perform in Eurovision.

Alexander was responding in part to a call by the group Queers for Palestine for him not to perform his dance track Dizzy in Malmo, Sweden,

He made it clear he was pressing ahead, saying he did not “feel comfortable” remaining silent over the conflict in Gaza.

The singer said in the joint statement: “It is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages.

“We stand united against all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.”

The statement is co-signed by Ireland’s entry Bambie Thug, Norway’s Gåte, Portugal’s entry Iolanda, Spain’s Megara and swiss rapper Nemo. Saba, Denmark’s entry also signed the statement, along with Lithuania’s Silvester Belt and Windows95Man, Finland’s entry.

The ceasefire call comes amid an increasingly bitter row over this year’s Eurovision Song Contest because of its decision to include Israel.

‘Not contest between governments’

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, has condemned attempts to politicise the event, saying Eurovision is “not a contest between governments”.

It said in response to Alexander’s statement: “We understand that these artists wish to make their voices heard in a call for peace.

“All of us working on this year’s Eurovision Song Contest are mindful of the strong feelings and opinions surrounding the current conflict in the Middle East. We firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest is a platform that should always transcend politics, promote togetherness and bring audiences together across the world.”

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Rather than opine on a foreign conflict about which he evidently knows little, it would have been nice to hear some protest from Olly Alexander against British venues cancelling screenings of Eurovision because the competition features the Jewish state. At a time of surging Jew-hatred in the UK, from someone who professes to stand against antisemitism that would have been the brave thing to say.”

The statement referred to the charity regulator announcing on Friday that it is to examine the cancellation of London’s biggest Eurovision screening party in protest against Israel’s involvement in the competition. The Rio Cinema in Dalston, east London, said last week that it would not hold the annual event this year, and planned to organise fundraising for the Palestinian aid effort instead.

But Alexander’s statement was backed by Amnesty International, who said: “Israel’s involvement in Eurovision inevitably makes it far more than a simple song contest and we’re encouraging Olly Alexander to use his voice on behalf of Palestinian civilians in Gaza who are currently being systematically starved and bombed to death by Israeli forces.

“High-profile artists like those at Eurovision command huge audiences and we think it’s extremely important that they exercise their right to free expression to ensure they’re on the right side of history. We’d like to see Olly Alexander using his Eurovision platform to speak out about the real risk of genocide in Gaza as well as Israel’s racist system of apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

Noel Curran, the EBU director general, had argued that the situation in Gaza differs from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to the exclusion of the Russian broadcaster in 2022.

He said the EBU was in line with other international bodies, including sports federations, that have maintained an “inclusive” stance towards Israel.

Mr Curran said: “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East. However, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political music event and a competition between public service broadcasters who are members of the EBU. It is not a contest between governments.”

The BBC was urged last year to drop Alexander as Britain’s entrant after it emerged he had signed a letter calling Israel an “apartheid regime” and criticising “Zionist propaganda”.

The broadcaster indicated it would not take action as Alexander had signed the letter before he was unveiled as the UK’s act.