United Kingdom: The BBC will not ban Olly Alexander from expressing a political opinion!

The BBC will allow the UK’s representative in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Olly Alexander, to express his political thoughts  in the wake of a surge in anti-Semitism.

Olly Alexander, who was announced as the UK’s contestant by the national broadcaster last week, has come under fire after the Telegraph revealed the singer had signed a document describing Israel as an apartheid regime while condemning and “Zionist propaganda”.

Israel accused the BBC of shirking its moral responsibility by refusing to cut ties with Olly Alexander, while the Conservative Party questioned whether the selection process was deliberate and Jewish activists called for his replacement.

However, the British Broadcasting Corporation confirmed on Friday that the 33-year-old, who rose to prominence through the band Years and Years, bears no responsibility for his use of social media on the grounds that he is neither a member of staff nor a freelancer.

A source within the BBC highlighted the BBC’s social media guidelines which note that:

Actors, comedians, musicians and pundits working for the BBC are not subject to demands for impartiality on social media.”

This therefore means that Olly Alexander will be able to share further opinions on political matters including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza if he so wishes.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news surrounding Eurovision 2024!

Follow us on all social media, so you don’t miss a moment of what’s happening around the Eurovision contest:

• Στο Facebook
• Στο Twitter
• Στο Instagram
• Στο TikTok
• Στο YouTube
• Στο Spotify

Πηγή: Telegraph