The Spanish prime minister has called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest over its military action in Gaza.
Pedro Sánchez noted Russia has been banned from the contest since 2022, following its invasion of Ukraine, and said there should not be “double standards”.
Israel came second in the contest’s grand final in Switzerland on Saturday, but topped the public vote, with Spanish viewers giving Israel the maximum 12 points.
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid, the Prime Minister stated: “Nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision.”
“Therefore Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture.”
He also expressed solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment”.
