Hilversum4Palestine, a network of Hilversum residents, will protest at the AvroTros head office at the Mediapark on Thursday, May 2. The activists denounce the broadcaster’s decision to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
In several places in Europe – including Malmö, where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place – people have been campaigning for weeks against Israel’s participation in the song competition. They demand the banishment of the Israeli entry, now that that country is at war with Hamas.
Rosa Faucille of Rood Hilversum/het Gooi, one of the initiators, says that the Hilversum activists mainly want to draw attention to the subject of ‘the genocide by Israel in Gaza’ with the protest. According to her, this is a local demonstration that is not affiliated with the socialist youth party Red. She expects several dozen participants.
Protesters have previously unsuccessfully called on Dutch Eurovision Song Contest participant Joost Klein to withdraw from the competition. “We call on AvroTros, its employees and Joost Klein to choose justice and humanity,” can now be read again in the press release of the announcement.
Right to demonstrate
A spokesperson for AvroTros said about the planned demonstration that “everyone in the Netherlands is free to demonstrate, including us.”
The spokesperson further refers to an earlier statement from the broadcaster on this matter. It states, among other things: ‘The Eurovision Song Contest is an apolitical music festival and not a competition between the governments of countries. This is therefore not the place where this deep-rooted conflict can be resolved.’
The protesters disagree with that statement. “Russia and Belarus were quickly and indefinitely banned from the Eurovision Song Contest due to its invasion of Ukraine, while Israel is allowed to participate despite its invasion of Gaza and the killing of more than 30,000 Palestinians.”
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Tags: Demonstration AvroTros building Israels participation Eurovision Song Contest Domestic
