Eurovision 2025: EBU Threatens Spain’s Commentators with Sanctions Over Gaza War Remarks

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) continues to emphasize the importance of neutrality in the Eurovision Song Contest, striving to keep it free from political or religious messages. However, tensions and controversies persist due to global conflicts, as seen this year during the semi-final broadcast. The incident involved Spanish commentators Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela, who made references to the war in Gaza while covering Israel’s performance of ‘New Day Will Rise.’ Their remarks included statistics about casualties in Gaza, surpassing 53,000, including over 15,000 children, according to UN data. In response, the EBU issued a formal warning, threatening legal sanctions against RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, for breaching contest neutrality rules. The EBU stated that political statements are strictly prohibited under the commentator’s handbook. While RTVE defended its stance by highlighting human rights issues, the Israeli delegation also filed an official complaint regarding the commentary, escalating the controversy further.