Reigning Eurovision champion Netta Barzilai called out the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for “preventing light from being spread” in a Feb. 7 interview on the BBC.
Barzilai said that people who want to boycott the upcoming Eurovision competition in Tel Aviv aren’t helping facilitate peaceful dialogue.
“I believe in a dialogue, I believe in a process,” Barzilai said. “Boycotting is preventing light from being spread, and when you boycott light, you spread darkness.”
She reiterated that she is all for having dialogue but “boycotting isn’t the answer.”
"Boycotting isn't the answer"#Eurovision winner @NettaBarzilai reflects on the calls to boycott #eurovision2019 ⬇️#100daystoEurovision pic.twitter.com/WsL2FAwS57
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 7, 2019
Barzilai won the 2018 Eurovision competition with her hit song “Toy,” resulting in the 2019 Eurovision being held in Israel.
There have been calls from the BDS crowd to boycott the competition; for instance, former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is among those calling for the BBC, which is broadcasting the competition, to hold the competition elsewhere.
The BBC has rebuffed such requests, stating that the competition is apolitical and it would be inappropriate to ask for it to be moved for political reasons.