As Eurovision 2025 prepares to kick off in the Swiss city of Basel this May, new flag regulations are drawing attention, highlighting the delicate balancing act between political expression and the contest’s long-standing claim to neutrality.
While audience rules have been relaxed – fans will now be allowed to wave a range of banners, from Pride to Palestine, as long as they comply with Swiss law – the performers are now restricted to displaying only the official national flag of the country they represent.
Eurovision has increasingly struggled to present itself as apolitical.
The 2024 edition was marred by the war in Gaza and calls for Israel to be banned (reiterated this year). The Israeli contestant was forced to remain in her hotel room except for official Eurovision events due to threats to her safety, while her performances on stage were met with boos from the public that were only muffled by noise-reducing technology. That same year, the contest’s winner, Nemo, smuggled a non-binary flag onstage after officials refused it, while Sweden’s Eric Saade wore a keffiyeh during his performance in support of Palestinians.
Eden Golan – Israel’s Eurovision entry – breaks down in tears after her highly emotional performance tonight.
— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) May 11, 2024
Imagine being only 20 and having thousands of extremists targeting you simply for representing your country by singing.#Eurovision2024 pic.twitter.com/TLa0E03yrE
In an attempt to rein in disruption, or, as the statement read out by the Danish delegation put it, for ‘visual clarity and neutrality’, the EBU has issued new rules on flags. In a statement to Metro, the EBU said it ‘wanted to strike a balance to ensure that our audiences and artists can express their enthusiasm and identities, whilst at the same time provide more clarity for the delegations when it comes to official spaces’.
Under the updated policy, developed jointly by the EBU and Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR, performers and delegations in official Eurovision spaces are only allowed to display their country’s official flag during all official Eurovision events. These areas include the main stage, the Green Room, the Eurovision Village stage and the Turquoise Carpet at the Opening Ceremony. In a departure from previous years, the new rule now explicitly bans LGBTQ and Palestinian flags, among others.
🇪🇺 DR has revealed the flag policy for #Eurovision 2025:
— ESC Discord (@ESCdiscord) April 25, 2025
👉 The audience can bring any flag as long as they do not violate Swiss law.
👉 Delegations may only participate with their country's official flag, disallowing other flags like pride flags. pic.twitter.com/EmqyJjmOi7
Watched by 160 million people worldwide, making it one of the largest televised events in the world – and an effective stage for soft power, examples abound of artists, audiences and nations using Eurovision as a platform for political messaging.
In 2009, Georgia withdrew from the contest after its entry We Don’t Wanna Put In was deemed too political. Russia was disqualified in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. Flags have also played a role: in 2016, Armenia’s Iveta Mukuchyan was sanctioned for waving the flag of the unrecognised republic of Artsakh; in 2019, Icelandic act Hatari was fined for displaying a Palestinian flag.
The new regulations do not, however, prohibit viewers from bringing any flag that is allowed under Swiss law into the official Eurovision space. This includes pride, Palestinian and other non-national flags. Banners will be banned if they promote racism or discrimination, incite hatred or violence, contain symbols of banned terrorist organisations, or are considered offensive or defamatory.
LGBTQ+ pride flags in Eurovision flag parades are quite rare.
— Principe 🫅🏾 (@Pri_Letterman) May 26, 2024
2014 to 2021 – no artists
2022 – 🇳🇱 S10 (rainbow), 🇮🇸 Systur (transgender), 🇦🇺 Sheldon Riley (rainbow)
2023 – 🇮🇹 Marco Mengoni (progress)
2024 – 🇨🇭 Nemo (non-binary) pic.twitter.com/xhaVUjxcHA
The new policy has been criticised by LGBTIQ+ organisations and several broadcasters, who accuse Eurovision organisers of hiding bias and identity erasure behind a veil of neutrality.
Non-compliance carries varying risks; artists risk sanctions under EBU rules, audience members can be ejected from the venue or have materials confiscated if they break Swiss law.
As Betsy Ross once said, behind every stitch lies a story to be told, and this year, Eurovision’s fabric is more political than ever.
