Iolanda's video of Portugal's Eurovision entry was reportedly replaced with an earlier video because it had a “pro-Palestinian motif” on her fingernails.
Last night's contest saw Swiss entrant Nemo crowned the first non-binary winner in a controversial year due to the EBU's struggles to enforce its political neutrality clause. This was particularly evident in Israel's participation this year due to its role in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Under this political neutrality clause, the EBU announced that it reserves the right to remove the Palestinian flag and symbols.
However, performers such as Irish contestants Bumby Thug and Iolanda called for “peace” and “love” at the end of their songs, and the duo also sported nail styles featuring the colors and symbols of the Palestinian flag. In Iolanda's case, the singer wore a keffiyeh (Palestinian scarf) on her nails.
This seems to have upset the EBU, which delayed the upload of her last Eurovision performance due to the claws. When it aired an hour later, Iolanda's semi-final performance was shown instead, and she sported bright white nails.
According to Portuguese state broadcaster RTP, the EBU said the reason for the delay was “pro-Palestinian motifs painted on competitors' nails.” RTP seemed to reply, “Does that have anything to do with it?”
The broadcaster will consider filing a “formal complaint” against the broadcaster if Eurovision organizers conclude that Iolanda has been “discriminated against”.
Portuguese broadcaster RTP plans to lodge a “formal complaint” with the EBU if it concludes Portugal's performance was “discriminatory”. They are also seeking an explanation for the fake cheers allegedly used during Israel's performance. #Eurovision https://t.co/mev59HtXsk
— Tiago Serra Cunha (@tiagoserracunha) May 12, 2024
🇵🇹 RTP's president revealed that the EBU was told that Iolanda's video had been delayed because of “pro-Palestinian motifs painted on the competitor's nails.” RTP answered the following questions: “Does that have anything to do with it?” #Eurovision https://t.co/mg0fwblEHX https://t.co/2Z0u1RaQg5
— Tiago Serra Cunha (@tiagoserracunha) May 12, 2024
Iolanda is not the only contestant to be censored due to political neutrality clauses. A now-deleted TikTok showed the moment Bambi Thug was forced to remove a pro-Palestinian message from her outfit, to which the contestant responded: “Fucked up.”
Bambie was scheduled to wear the words “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” in the form of Ogham, an ancient medieval script, on his costume. However, she was forced to delete these messages hours before rehearsal.
They later detailed their feelings about the last-minute costume change in a lengthy Instagram post, writing: My delegation and I opposed this, and in the end the EBU agreed to maintain a ceasefire. About an hour before the time of the call, an internal meeting was held in which we were informed that the ceasefire was no longer acceptable and that if we did not lift this we would not be allowed on stage.
“I support justice and peace and this will never change. I can only hope that through my platform more people will be heard. My heart and prayers are with the Palestinian people #eyesonrafah. Parents. Being Palestinian doesn't mean I'm anti-Semitic. It means I'm anti-war, anti-occupation, anti-oppression, and against the killing of innocent civilians. The kids!!”
In other news, Bumby Thug slams Eurovision organizers for “not supporting” them amid Israeli commentator controversy.