A group of far-left (and mostly C-list) British celebrities have written to the BBC demanding that the national broadcaster cancel its airing of a contest to decide who will represent Britain at this year’s Eurovision singing contest. They say this year’s competition (the annual contest involves amateur musicians from across the European continent) is unjust because it’s being held in Israel.
The letter is a pathetic joke that says much about the boycotters. The BBC will rightly reject their demands on that basis. For a start, the BBC is charter-bound to political impartiality. This effectively means the BBC will either totally ignore the boycott letter or reject it outright. Interestingly the whole purpose of the BBC impartiality charter is that the absence of such a charter would inhibit the broadcaster’s ability to pursue the truth. That’s relevant because the boycott letter is intellectually defective.
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Consider the boycotters’ claim that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians means that “[w]hen discrimination and exclusion are so deeply embedded, Eurovision 2019’s claim to celebrate diversity and inclusion must ring hollow … [the BBC] should act on its principles and press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed.”
Aside from the obvious tropes here about unjust treatment of Palestinians (something that is only occasionally true), the letter’s underlying implication is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a binary one in which the Palestinians are the morally oppressed and the Israelis are unjust aggressors. This isn’t the case.
Hamas’ treatment of homosexuals and the corruption that defines Palestinian politics in Gaza and Ramallah speak to the absurdity of this false moral narrative. When it comes to human rights and political accountability, Israeli governance is far more moral than Palestinian governance. The letter is also exceptionally arrogant. It claims that “[f]or any artist of conscience, [attendance at Eurovision 2019] would be a dubious honor.” Who says so? The letter signatories? Who else? This supposition of moral authority simply via nature of greater-than-average-name-recognition reeks of the worse kind of celebrity ignorance: high on ego, short on knowledge, and depleted of humility.
Ultimately, however, the letter isn’t surprising. Anti-Israel attitudes have long held significant sway in British celebrity culture. Some of the signatories, such as Ken Loach, are documented fanatics. But I take satisfaction from the fact that Eurovision will go ahead, that the BBC will cover it, and that in doing so, will bring positive attention to a country deserving of it.
