'Eurovision 2025' bans LGBTQ+ community flags on stage – only the official flag of the representing country is allowed

Artists participating in Eurovision 2025 will only be allowed to bring their country's official flag to official Eurovision events, thus excluding flags representing the LGBTQ+ community, including the Pride flag.

According to the new guidelines for flag policy – ​​originally provided by the Danish broadcaster DR and then published by PinkNews – this year's participants and their delegations may only bring the national flag of the country they represent into the official Eurovision venues.

This includes the Eurovision Opening Ceremony, the Eurovision Village stage, the Green Room and the Eurovision main stage itself.

This means that LGBTQ+ artists competing this year – including some of the favorites like Miriana Conte from Malta, JJ from Austria and Erika Vikman from Finland – will not be able to display community flags during their performances.

Last year, the winner from Switzerland, Nemo, who identifies as non-binary (gender indeterminate), revealed that he was prevented by organizers from taking the non-binary flag on stage. As a result, he said he had secretly brought the flag in to enable its presentation in the flag parade.

"I had to hide the flag to enter it, because Eurovision didn't allow it - but I did it anyway. I hope others did the same," Nemo said at the time.

This year, participants will only be allowed to take to the flag parade the national flag provided by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR.

Also, flags expressing solidarity with other countries, such as the flag of Ukraine, will not be allowed.

Organizers have warned that there will be "consequences" for those who do not respect the new rules, but when asked by DR for additional details, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) did not provide further clarification.

In an answer to PinkNews, a Eurovision spokesperson said: “The official flag policies for Eurovision 2025 have been developed by the Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR in cooperation with the EBU, particularly for the official ESC venues, in order to ensure clarity for the public and delegations.”

Together we aimed to create a balance so that audiences and artists can express their enthusiasm and identities, while also providing more clarity for delegations regarding official spaces."

In line with other international competition events, in the official spaces – which include the Stage, the Green Room, the Eurovision Village and the Turquoise Carpet – only one national flag per delegation is permitted.

Outside of these official spaces, the policy on flags is the same as for the public: the use of all flags permitted under Swiss law is permitted, offering broad opportunities for the expression of personal identities.

While the rules for artists have been tightened this year, they have been relaxed for fans who will attend official Eurovision events, including the semi-finals and the final to be held at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland.

Fans will be allowed to bring "any flag or banner" with them, as long as they do not pose a risk to safety or the production process of the spectacle, and are in accordance with Swiss laws.

The use of flags containing racist, discriminatory content, or symbols that incite hatred, insult or defamation is prohibited. Flags with symbols of banned terrorist organizations will also be prohibited.

Flags were a hotly debated topic in the previous edition, where only the flags of the 37 participating countries and the general Pride flag were allowed.

Some Eurovision fans had reported being denied entry to the Malmö arena in Sweden with various LGBTQ+ community flags, while others had encountered difficulties with the European Union flag.

The Palestinian flag was also banned, as part of the controversial decision to allow Israel to participate despite the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. According to DR, the Palestinian flag will be allowed in the arena where Eurovision 2025 is being held this year.

The semi-finals of 'Eurovision 2025' will take place in Basel, Switzerland on May 13 and 15, while the final will be held on May 17. /Telegraph/