Is it fair to pressurise Bambie Thug to boycott Eurovision?

Since December there have been loud and persistent calls on Irish entrant Bambie Thug to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – because Israel is taking part. That country’s relentless bombardment of Gaza since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7th has prompted appeals for Isreal be to excluded from the contest, however the event’s organiser, the European Broadcast Union, has rejected such calls.

The focus in many countries has turned to the artists, calling on them to pull out of Eurovision.

But is this fair? Irish Times reporter and Eurovision superfan Laura Slattery talks about Bambie’s predicament, about the competition’s long history of political controversy and what will happen in Malmo.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.