Trade union displays message calling for ceasefire, as Israeli entrant qualifies for final in Sweden amid mass protest

A Belgian broadcaster interrupted its coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on Thursday night to display a protest message condemning Israel’s war on Gaza. In an act organised by a trade union, the screen briefly went black ahead of the semi-final coverage on VRT, Belgium’s public-service broadcaster in Flemish.

It then aired the message: “This is a union action. We condemn the human rights violations by the state of Israel. Moreover, the state of Israel destroys press freedom. Therefore, we are interrupting the broadcast momentarily.”

The message concluded with the hashtags “CeasefireNow” and “StopGenocide”.

A spokesperson for VRT told Belgian media that the broadcaster was aware the action would take place. “We were informed that it would happen. Trade unions have the right to take action and do not need permission for it. I can only confirm that we have taken note of the action,” said spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght.