I am Catalan: I expect nothing from the EBU

Last year, the president ofOK Diario, Pilar R. Losantos went viral when she tweeted evidence claiming she had spent 21.80 euros to cast 20 votes in favor of Israel, the maximum allowed. It was the best investment of the year, as she later wrote. If we add to the Croatians of the far-right culture war that the Netanyahu government itself has admitted to campaigning to gain support for its representatives, we're already out on our luck. What needs to be examined here is the role of the EBU. That an organization that brings together the main public television channels has censored free expression during the protests reported by those attending Basel is, quite simply, an aberration. Threatening to prosecute RTVE if it recalls the massacre in Gaza is intolerable interference. Dodging the Palestinian flags in the audience is a deception for viewers. And that all this is being done at an event sponsored by the Israeli company Moroccanoil is a disgrace.

The EBU's hypocrisy isn't exactly new to us Catalans. It's always been just another manifestation of the private club of states that is the EU. It's no longer a matter of local origin, but there was a time when membership in this organization would have given TV3 access to valuable services and images. But, alas, they systematically vetoed the Catalan public broadcaster's entry into their network—while the German regional channels were there—and always shielded themselves by claiming that RTVE didn't give their blessing. Since they talk a lot about the richness of diversity, they could have been more decisive and less hypocritical when it came to putting their principles into practice. And if all the vetoes and threats to keep Palestine out of the spotlight were really about not politicizing the music competition, they should have avoided the shameful whitewashing campaign we witnessed on Saturday night.