Belgium’s VRT Protests Against Israel During Eurovision Broadcast

The public broadcasting organization of Belgium, VRT, staged a protest against Israel during the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmö, Sweden last night. Broadcasting in Dutch, VRT stopped their broadcasts to condemn Israel.

In the message that appeared on the channel’s schedule, it stated, ‘This is a union action. We condemn the human rights violations of the State of Israel. Israel is destroying press freedom. Therefore, we are temporarily suspending the broadcast. #Ceasefire immediately #Stop the genocide.’

With this action organized by the ACOD-VRT labor union, it was emphasized that the conflicts in the Middle East have reached alarming levels. The union stated that Israel is accused of genocide in the region and found it unacceptable for an Israeli contestant to participate in Eurovision.

The aim of the union was to send a clear message to the Israeli government to stop wars and massacres. It was also emphasized that international observers and the press should be able to enter Gaza freely and peace negotiations should be initiated.

After the protest, the broadcast returned to its normal schedule. Meanwhile, in Malmö, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Alene in Eurovision.