A few hours before the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, the Norwegian points announcer has pulled out.
Singer Alessandra Mele explained her decision in a video on Instagram on Saturday, citing the Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. "There's a genocide going on," the 21-year-old said in the English-language post. "Open up your eyes. Open up your heart. Let love lead you to the truth."
The Eurovision motto "United by Music" is the reason why she does music, said Mele. "But right now, those words are just empty words."
The singer, who also has Italian roots, achieved fifth place for Norway at the Eurovision last year with "Queen of Kings."
The presenter Ingvild Helljesen from public broadcaster NRK is expected to stand in for Mele.
According to information from NRK and the Swedish broadcaster SVT, a crisis meeting was held in the Swedish city of Malmö, where the event is taking place.
The entries for Ireland, Switzerland and Greece did not take part in the traditional flag parade rehearsal earlier in the day. Bambie Thug from Ireland, who has repeatedly criticized the participation of Israeli singer Eden Golan, also missed their rehearsal on Saturday.
Bambie Thug wrote on Instagram that there had been a "situation" when the artists wanted to take the stage for the flag parade. According to media reports, the organizing European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said it was looking into the situation.
