Portugal is required to withdraw from visas.
Bandidos do Cante practice their song Rosa at the Wiener Stadthalle multipurpose arena in Vienna. Corinne Cumming, EBU
The Portuguese broadcasting company RTP asks its management team and the country’s government to demand that Portugal boycott Eurovision because of Israel’s participation. RTP is at the last drop with its request, as the five-week week is already next week and the Eurovision final is on Saturday, May 16.
This year, Portugal will be represented by Bandidos do Cante with their song Rose.
Already in December, RTP employees made a statement opposing Portugal’s participation in visas. The statement has been re-shared on Instagram and you can see it below or from here.
– Through that gesture, it is shown that culture does not whitewash crimes, and does not turn attention away from acts condemned by the international community, the statement was justified in December.
If Portugal was left out of visas at the last minute, the country would have to pay a fine.
The boycott has been met with amusement on social media.
– They always do that a week before the concerts, when it should start already a year earlier, commented one of the concerts fans on Instagram.
– As I said before, this should be resolved in the winter. Not five minutes before visa dispatch.
– The time for the boycott was in December, not a week before. They should have taken action earlier.
– This is already too thick!
– Will RTP employees pay a fine? Portugal will not have time to retreat!
– Eurovision is about music, not governments.
RTP employees are also defended in the comments.
– People complain why they didn’t say anything in December, well they did. They said the same thing in early December. This is the second time they have called for a boycott, one fan specified.
– I believe that Portugal will join the boycott and stay out next year. The representatives and public radio have had a hard time.
This is what the song of Portugal’s five representative sounds like. You can listen to it below or from here.