THE Scottish Greens have called on the BBC to follow other broadcasters’ lead and boycott the Eurovision Song Contest should Israel take part.

The call comes after Spanish culture minister Ernest Urtasun threatened to withdraw from the contest altogether, while Irish broadcaster RTE and Slovenia’s RTVSLO have already made clear their plans to boycott the event if Israel is not banned for its ongoing assault on Gaza and its people.

Urging the BBC to take the same approach, the party’s culture spokesman Patrick Harvie said: “Eurovision is a celebration of diversity, love and unity. I want people to be able to truly enjoy it, but that’s not possible if it’s being used to whitewash genocide.

“We must never normalise war crimes. When Gaza is being obliterated, and the Palestinian people collectively punished and deliberately starved, we all need to take a stand. That includes Eurovision.

“As one of the ‘big 5’ Eurovision broadcasters, the BBC carries a loud voice and should use it to join RTE and others in speaking out against Israel’s inclusion and joining the boycott.”

The BBC was contacted for comment.