Czech human rights groups have written an open letter to the Czech bank Lake Malawi regarding their participation in the controversial Eurovision festival in Tel Aviv. The original Czech version here.
Dear members of Lake Malawi,
You won the nomination to represent our country at Eurovision 2019. Under normal circumstances, congratulations would be in order. As the underlying idea behind this European contest is to unify the continent and its surrounding regions, defy differences and unite people from various cultures – it is a highly symbolic event.
This year, however, this commendable musical event is happening in a country which many in the international community deem an apartheid state. A state in which the ruling regime is irreconcilable with the idea of cultural exchange. A state which continuously ignores its international obligations. A state which systematically occupies and colonizes the West Bank – expelling the indigenous Palestinian population. A state which has turned the Gaza Strip to an open-air prison and treats its Arab Israeli citizens – a telling term designated by Israel to its Palestinian population – as second-class citizens.
