Outrage after Swedish-Palestinian artist rebuked for wearing Palestinian scarf

The Eurovision song competition is facing intense scrutiny and accusations of discrimination after it rebuked Swedish-Palestinian pop star Eric Saade for wearing a keffiyeh scarf in the opening act of the semi-finals, Middle East Eye reports.

Saade, whose father is of Palestinian origin, kicked off the first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest in Malmo, Sweden, on Tuesday evening with the traditional scarf which has come to symbolise Palestine wrapped around his wrist.

In response, the organisers of the contest, European Broadcasting Union, released a statement saying the move compromised the “non-political nature of the event”.

Social media users pushed back saying that the keffiyeh was a symbol of palestinian culture and Saade didn’t make any political statements.