The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has revised its flag policy ahead of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and will now permit Palestinian flags to be displayed by audience members.
Organisers announced that any flag that is legal under Swiss law [where the event is being held] and not linked to racism, violence or banned terrorist groups will be permitted in the crowd.
Eurovision is, by its own rules, an apolitical event and expressions of political opinions, particularly on contentious issues, has previously been tightly restricted.
Under the previous flag rules, audience members were encouraged only to display the flags of competing nations. Any flags which had a political aspect, including rainbow, trans rights and Palestine flags were liable to confiscation.
The revised regulations are significantly more lax for attendees, with any flag allowed as long as it is legal and not considered to be widely offensive.
However, contest officials stressed that Eurovision remains apolitical and that political messaging will not be tolerated on stage.
The EBU said that delegates and performers are restricted to displaying only their national flags during performances. Unofficial symbols and flags are prohibited on stage, in the green room and during red carpet events.
Violation of the rules could result in confiscation of items or removal from the venue.
The 2025 contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland, with semi-finals scheduled for May 13 and 15 and the final on May 17 at St. Jakobshalle arena.
Eurovision is one of the world’s largest televised entertainment events, featuring entries from across Europe and beyond, including Australia.
The update comes amid heightened tensions over Israel’s participation in the competition. Representing Israel this year is Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on the Nova music festival, who will perform ‘New Day Will Rise’.
Activists and some public broadcasters have called for Israel to be banned from the competition due to the ongoing war in Gaza. Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE sent a letter to the EBU requesting an open discussion about Israel’s inclusion. The EBU rejected the appeal, reaffirming that all member broadcasters remain eligible.
Last year’s Eurovision, held in Malmö, Sweden, saw widespread protests over Israel’s participation. Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, faced security threats and stayed largely isolated from public events. When she did venture into public spaces, she was heavily disguised.
Golan’s song, ‘Hurricane’, finished fifth overall after ranking second in the public vote but lower among national judges. Audience boos during her performance were technologically suppressed. The EBU had disqualified Golan’s original entry, ‘October Rain’, for being too political.
This year’s organisers are preparing for renewed tensions but emphasised that Eurovision’s goal remains to celebrate music, not politics.
