BBC urged to oppose Israel hosting Eurovision

LONDON: Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters were among dozens of figures from Britain’s creative industries urging the BBC on Wednesday to oppose Israel hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The 50-strong coalition, which also includes filmmaker Mike Leigh and author Yann Martel, said the broadcaster should "act on its principles" and call for the annual competition to be moved over Israel’s "systematic violation of Palestinian human rights".

"The BBC is bound by its charter to ‘champion freedom of expression’," the group stated in a letter published in The Guardian newspaper. "It should act on its principles and press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed."

The largely European song competition, which dates back to the 1950s, is typically held in May in the winning country from the previous year. In 2018 that was Israel and its commercial capital Tel Aviv was chosen to host this year’s event.

The creatives’ appeal was timed ahead of the BBC screening a domestic competition on February 8 to select the UK’s entry. "For any artist of conscience, this would be a dubious honour," said the signatories, who also included musician Peter Gabriel alongside several architects and comedians.

"When discrimination and exclusion are so deeply embedded, Eurovision 2019’s claim to celebrate diversity and inclusion must ring hollow. "Much more in tune with ‘inclusivity’ is the outpouring of support across Europe for the Palestinian call for artists and broadcasters not to go to Tel Aviv," it said.