If you’re a Eurovision fan, you may have seen some rather confusing – and seemingly contradictory – headlines around flags in the last few days.
Some headlines are claiming that the “ban” on showing Palestinian flags at this year’s contest has now been overturned, while others are suggesting that only the flags of participating countries will be allowed on stage – meaning the traditional six-stripe rainbow Pride flag is no longer permitted.
Well, the reality is that both are true. So, what’s the actual story, and why is there so much fuss around flags in the first place?
Here’s what you need to know…
The debate around flags at Eurovision became a huge issue during last year’s song contest
As you may well recall, last year’s Eurovision Song Contest was marred with controversy, which largely stemmed from the presence of Israel in the competition, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Many pro-Palestine voices in the media last year called for a boycott of the event, while others hoped to state their case by showing their solidarity with Palestine in the arena.
However, this proved difficult, as organisers implemented a rule that only the flags of competing countries would be allowed – with the one exception of the six-stripe rainbow Pride flag.
It’s worth pointing out that the updated “Progress” flag, which includes additional stripes and emblems celebrating traditionally underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ+ community, was also not permitted.
While much of the media attention was devoted to the Palestinian flag, this rule also meant that non-binary acts Bambie Thug and eventual winner Nemo were not allowed to wave the specific non-binary flag on the Eurovision stage.
Nemo did manage to quietly get one into the arena with them anyway, though they later admitted they’d had to “smuggle” it in.
“I did it anyway, so I hope some people did that too,” they told the press room after their win. “But, I mean, come on, this is clearly a double standard.”
Martin Sylvest Andersen via Getty Images
After the broadcast, Eurovision shared a picture of Nemo waving a non-binary flag backstage on social media, with a caption celebrating “non-binary finery”, which faced similar criticism as the flag in question was technically a contraband item.
Having apparently broken the Eurovision trophy during their winning celebration on stage, Nemo observed/: “The trophy can be fixed – maybe Eurovision needs fixing a little bit too.”
So, will Palestinian flags be allowed at Eurovision this year?
On Monday afternoon, The Telegraph – citing “leaked documents obtained by Denmark’s national broadcaster” – shared details of the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU’s) “revised rules” for Eurovision 2025.
At this year’s final, Eurovision fans will be able to bring any flag they like with them, so long as they are “legally permitted”.
This means that the flags for Palestine (and other countries that aren’t competing at Eurovision in 2025), the European Union and various Pride flags will now be permitted in the Eurovision venue.
In The Telegraph’s report, it says that flags promoting racism or other forms of discrimination, banners with offensive or derogatory messages and emblems of banned terrorist groups will not be allowed.
The Palestinian flag did crop up at Eurovision once before, when Icelandic act Hatari managed to “smuggle” one into the arena in Tel Aviv, Israel back in 2019 – for which the country’s national broadcaster was fined €5,000.
Madonna also displayed one on during her guest performance that same year, with two dancers emblazoned with the Israeli and Palestinian flags walking arm in arm in a call for peace in the Middle East.
The rules around flags for Eurovision performers this year are different, though
If you’re confused because you’ve seen headlines saying that the Pride flag is no longer allowed – this is why.
These “revised rules” mean that there are fewer restrictions for those in the audience, but it’s actually become more strict for the artists on stage.
For them, the only flag they’re allowed to wave on stage at any time is that of their own country – and that includes the traditional rainbow Pride flag, which has previously been allowed.
A spokesperson told Pink News: “The official flag policies of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 have been developed by the Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR with input from the EBU, particularly on official ESC spaces, to provide clarity for audiences and delegations.
“Together we wanted to strike a balance to ensure that our audiences and artists can express their enthusiasm and identities, whilst at the same time provide more clarity for the delegations when it comes to official spaces.
“In line with other international competitive events, the policy for participating broadcasters is that only one national flag can be used in official spaces – these are the Stage, Green Room, Eurovision Village Stage and Turquoise Carpet.
“Outside of these official spaces the flag policy for delegations is the same as for audiences, where all flags permitted under Swiss law can be used, and provides plenty of opportunities for the expression of everyone’s identities.”
HuffPost UK has contacted the EBU for additional comment.
When actually is Eurovision 2025?
Yeah, that seems like a logical next question.
The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May, with the live final airing on BBC One on Saturday 17 May.
Following Switzerland’s victory, Eurovision is being held in Basel for the first time. This also marks the contest’s first time taking place in Switzerland since 1989, after Céline Dion won with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (and rumours have suggested she could put in an appearance at this year’s final).
This year, country-pop girl group Remember Monday are representing the UK with their original song What The Hell Just Happened?, which takes influence from several huge British acts like Queen and Elton John (as did Sam Ryder, our best-performing entrant this century, back in 2022).
It’s worth pointing out, though, that after all of the controversy surrounding last year’s event, it looks like this year’s could well end up being just as contentious…
#Eurovision #Palestine #Rainbow #Pride #Flags #Allowed
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