The first Irish Eurovision Song Contest finalist since 2018 has said they altered a pro-Palestinian message on their outfit following an "order" from the competition organisers.
Bambie Thug won a place in Saturday's final with a mesmerising execution of their song Doomsday Blue at the semi-final in Malmö, Sweden last night.
The Cork-born singer, 31, told a press conference in Malmö they were forced to change their body paint in Ogham script - an early Medieval alphabet - which translated to ceasefire and freedom, a nod to the situation in Gaza and amid Israel's inclusion in the competition.
"It was very important for me because I'm pro-justice and pro-peace," they said.
"Unfortunately, I had to change those messages today to 'crown the witch' only (which was an) order from the EBU."
A spokeswoman for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said: "The writing seen on Bambie Thug's body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.
"After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
