Spain risks major fine from Eurovision Song Contest by persisting with political message

Spanish broadcasters risked facing the wrath of Eurovision Song Contest organisers by persisting with a political message, despite a previous warning.

Representing Spain this year is singer-songwriter and dancer Melody with her upbeat tune, ESA DIVA, which has proven a huge hit among Eurovision 2025 viewers.

However, her own country could now be fined after defying the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) with a statement displayed ahead of the Grand Final.

Before their coverage began – this year’s Grand Final takes place in Basel, Switzerland, following Nemo’s 2024 win – RTVE showed a black screen with white text in both Spanish and an English translation.

It read: ‘When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option.’

‘Peace and Justice for Palestine.’

The message was shown on screens for 16 seconds.

RTVE (the BBC equivalent) also posted a clip of it on X, which soon garnered over one million views.

In response, many Spanish viewers thanked them for their support of Palestine.

‘EBU you can sanction us, but you cannot silence us. Proud of RTVE’, wrote @Tokyiio.

‘This is the public television I want’, declared @juanf_moreno.

‘We’re going to pay that fine with all the pride in the world’, wrote @Nabad2003.

Indeed, the network could now have to cough up a hefty sum, due to Eurovision organisers long stating that it is ‘a non-political event.’

Under the rules on the official Eurovision website, it says: ‘All participating broadcasters, including the host broadcaster, shall be responsible to ensure that all necessary measures are undertaken within their respective delegations and teams to safeguard the interests and the integrity of the ESC and to make sure that the ESC shall in no case be politicised and/or instrumentalised and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.’

The rules also state: ‘The participating broadcasters shall at all times respect the EBU and the ESC values and take all steps to protect the integrity of the ESC and of the shows.’

Ahead of the final, the EBU proved it will not mess around when it comes to political commentary, although this is far from the first time a country has been caught up in a political row.

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Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar mentioned the victims of the ongoing Gaza war during the second semi-final broadcast earlier this week.

The presenters also reminded viewers that the Spanish public broadcaster had already requested a discussion within the EBU about Israel’s participation in Eurovision.

Consequently, the EBU warned RTVE of ‘punitive fines’ if its commentators repeated such references during the Grand Final.

Head of the Spanish delegation, Ana María Bordás, was also sent a letter with the warning in writing on Friday. It was signed by Eurovision Reference Group Chair Swiss Bakel Walden and Swedish Martin Österdahl, the contest’s Executive Supervisor.

Meanwhile, protests have raged on throughout this year’s contest, with pro-Palestine demonstrators gathering in their hundreds just hours before the final began.

Then, inside St. Jakobshalle, a Eurovision crew member was hit with paint after two people tried to rush on stage to disrupt Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s performance.

Organisers confirmed they were swiftly removed from the venue.

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