Madonna‘s performance last night was one of the most discussed items of last night’s show. Especially when one of the dancers she brought turned out to have a Palestinian flag on their back. The EBU have now responded to the matter.
EBU: An unpleasant surprise
The statement took place during the performance Madonna gave for her new single “Future”. The dancer in question was on the floor and displayed a Palestinian flag on their back. It happened in a flash, but people on social media soon took notice of the statement.
Later during the performance, another dancer turned out to have an Israeli flag on their costume. The two walked the stairs at the end of the performance whilst embracing each other. EBU have now responded to the statement, as they have made clear that they were not aware that a statement was going to be made. Their full statement to the BBC reads:
In the live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final, two of Madonna’s dancers briefly displayed the Israeli and Palestinian flags on the back of their outfits. This element of the performance was not part of the rehearsals which had been cleared with the EBU and the host broadcaster, KAN. The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event and Madonna had been made aware of this.
EBU to BBC
Madonna: Peace is not political
The Queen of Pop herself has not yet responded to the incident. Her spokesperson however has. They have pretty much confirmed that Madonna was aware of the statement when she took to the stage last night. Her involvement was, up until this confirmation, not yet clear. People were wondering online whether the “Like A Prayer” singer knew about the flags. The spokesperson spoke to Entertainment Weekly by dropping them a note with the following statement:
A message of peace is not political.
Madonna’s spokesperson to Entertainment Weekly
Criticism galore
Madonna has been criticised heavily for her performance in Tel Aviv. It even led to Dutch spokesperson Emma Wortelboer referring to the performance when giving the votes out, as she stated she was grateful to be there, as well as for “Madonna’s autotune“.
The 60 year old Queen of Pop performed two songs last night. She started off with an enormous choir performing her 1988 hit “Like A Prayer”. Together with her dancers, who wore gas masks throughout the performance, and Quavo, she then ended with her new single “Future”.
