Eurovision bans Pride flags for performers, lifts restrictions on flags for spectators

Alexandra Mae Jones · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 7:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The Eurovision Song Contest has lifted restrictions that barred spectators from waving Palestinian flags and different banners of non-competing countries oregon entities — but the updated emblem argumentation besides states performers tin lone question the emblem of the state they're representing, efficaciously banning Pride flags for artists.

The updated policy, shared with CBC News, specifies that each flags and banners are permitted for assemblage members astatine the upcoming lawsuit this May successful Basel, Switzerland, arsenic agelong arsenic they bash not airs information risks oregon interruption Swiss law.

But the aforesaid isn't existent for performers erstwhile they're successful "official spaces."

Under the policy, lone 1 nationalist emblem tin beryllium displayed by performers and their delegations erstwhile they are successful spaces including the stage, Green Room, Eurovision Village signifier and Turquoise Carpet astatine the opening ceremony.

During the emblem parade, lone 1 authoritative emblem provided by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), the big broadcaster, is allowed to beryllium displayed by performers.

This means that demonstrations similar the 1 that occurred when Italy's Marco Mengoni carried some the Italian and Pride flags during the emblem parade successful 2023 will nary longer beryllium permitted.

It besides means performers volition nary longer beryllium capable to show different state oregon territory's flag successful solidarity, specified arsenic the Palestinian emblem oregon Ukraine's flag, which galore performers displayed in 2022 successful the aftermath of Russia's invasion.

A spokesperson for the Eurovision Song Contest said the argumentation was developed by SRG SSR with input from the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU).

"Outside of these authoritative spaces, the emblem argumentation for delegations is the aforesaid arsenic for audiences, wherever each flags permitted nether Swiss instrumentality tin beryllium used, including Pride flags, and provides plentifulness of opportunities for the look of everyone's identities," the spokesperson said.

Delegations and performers whitethorn look "further consequences" if they interruption the policy, but it's not wide what these consequences are. 

Ban connected Pride flags criticized

The updated argumentation for artists is an abrupt alteration to a long-standing contented successful which the rainbow Pride emblem was an objection to the regularisation that required only the flags of competing countries to beryllium flown.

In 2022, respective artists carried Pride flags during the emblem parade, with S10, a singer-rapper from the Netherlands, and Australia's Sheldon Riley some carrying rainbow flags, and Iceland's Systur band carrying a transgender flag.

Switzerland's Nemo, who scored archetypal spot successful past year's Eurovision Song Contest for the song The Code, about their travel of self-acceptance, said they had to smuggle successful the non-binary emblem that they displayed onstage after Eurovision seemingly told them it wasn't permitted.

Already, the quality that nary Pride flags volition beryllium allowed to beryllium flown by performers and their delegations onstage is sparking backlash connected societal media and beyond, with galore pointing retired that the campy, glitzy event has agelong positioned itself arsenic an event that celebrates 2SLGBTQ+ radical and allies.

"There's conscionable thing truly acheronian astir eurovision which claims to honour its swathes of LGBTQ+ fans deciding to outlaw contestants showing pridefulness flags," wrote X idiosyncratic @_Aviera_.

Another idiosyncratic wrote, "How tin the @Eurovision spell from being 1 of the precise large allies for the LGBTQIA+ assemblage to present banning pridefulness flags- fell ourselves again! Last year, Nemo (a Non-Binary Person) won successful 2024. How does this marque sense! Time for this amusement to end."

Dutch broadcaster AvroTros volition beryllium appealing the determination of the EBU to prohibition Pride flags successful "official spaces," aft gathering with LGBTQ+ rights radical COC Nederland, according to section media reports. 

Calls to boycott Eurovision continue

The argumentation alteration is conscionable the latest contention to face the embattled pan-continental popular competition.

Last year's instalment successful Malmö, Sweden, was overshadowed by monolithic pro-Palestinian protests calling for Israel to beryllium barred from competing owed to its subject run successful the Gaza Strip. Israel's violative has killed much than 51,000 radical and damaged oregon destroyed astir residential buildings, according to Gaza officials and the United Nations.

Eurovision concisely barred Israel from performing successful 2024 implicit concerns that its opus prime broke rules connected governmental neutrality. The song, primitively titled October Rain, appeared to incorporate references to the Hamas-led onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, that killed immoderate 1,200 radical and led to astir 250 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel was yet cleared to vie aft changes were made to the lyrics and the title.

But the contention hasn't fto up. Three nationalist broadcasters from participating nations — Slovenia, Spain and Iceland — person called Israel's continued engagement successful the lawsuit into question this year.

Contest organizers person maintained that Eurovision is simply a non-political event, but those opposing Israel's inclusion person pointed retired that Russia was banned from participating successful Eurovision successful 2022 pursuing its penetration of Ukraine and has not participated since.