Eurovision 2025: EMMY to represent Ireland in song contest

More than 400 Irish artists signed an open letter urging Bambie to boycott the competition after calls for a ceasefire in Gaza were mounting from a number artists.

But Bambie maintained that pro-Palestinian representation at Eurovision was important.

During a dress rehearsal for the semi-final, they were told to remove pro-Palestinian symbols from their face.

Their costume had originally included an ancient Celtic writing known as Ogham – which they said had spelt “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine”.

After the final, Bambie, who had been outspoken in their views, accused Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan, of “inciting violence” against them during its coverage.

Other participants accused the Israeli delegation of filming them and posting clips online without their permission.

The EBU acknowledged that several contestants had lodged complaints.

“We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention,” the EBU said.

“The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.”