During his performance at Eurovision during semi-final 1, Eric Saade wore a keffiyeh around his wrist a symbol of his Palestinian ethnicity.
All performers are made aware of the rules of the contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.
European Broadcasting Union Statement
Despite this statement, it is not clear what rule Saade actually broke. The keffiyeh is a traditional head-dress in the Arab world and the pattern that Eric wore is traditional to Palestine.Eric himself is the son of a Palestinian and the EBU specifically states that the contest is a way to unite people of all backgrounds and cultures so taking a stand against someone wearing a symbol of his culture and identity when this is what the contest encourages is strange. The insulation from the EBU is of course that the message was political as it could be interpreted as calling for an end to Israeli hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
The EBU also took action against Ireland for more directly calling for a ceasefire.
The executive producer of the contest, Ebba Adielsson also stated to Aftonbladet that they are “sad that he uses his participation this way.”
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