Protests in Italy as RAI distances itself from Ghali’s ‘stop genocide’ Sanremo comment

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While Angelina Mango celebrated her victory at the 74th Sanremo Music Festival, Israel criticized Italy’s biggest television music competition over comments made by one of the other contestants.

Italian-Tunisian rapper Ghali placed fourth in the contest and used his appearance in the finale to call for “stopping genocide.”

The Sanremo Music Festival is the longest-running annual television music competition and, as the basis for Eurovision, is one of the most watched television events on the Italian calendar.

Following Ghali’s comments, Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Aron Barr, said the festival was being used to “spread hatred and provocation in a superficial and irresponsible manner.”

Barr posted to X: “Of the 1,200 victims of the October 7th massacre, more than 360 young people were massacred and raped during the Nova Music Festival. A further 40 of these were kidnapped and are still being targeted by terrorists. It’s in their hands. The festival in Sanremo could have expressed solidarity with them. It’s a shame that this didn’t happen.”

Since the Hamas terrorist attack in October, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, including more than 12,000 children. Ghali’s comments on the program did not mention Israel or Gaza by name.

In response to the ambassador’s comments, Mr. Ghali said: “I have always talked about these issues, not since October 7th, but since I was a child…The fact that the ambassador speaks like this is not good. The policy of terrorism continues, people say stop the war, stop the genocide. We live in a moment where people are afraid to say stop, and feel they are losing something if they say “Long live peace.”

Ghali was not the only participant at the Sanremo festival to appeal for peace. Singer Eros Ramazzotti said, “No more blood, no more war,” and rapper Dargen D’Amico said, “There are children under the bombs without water or food. Our silence is a collective responsibility.”

Roberto Sergio, CEO of state broadcaster RAI, which broadcasts the show, expressed solidarity “with the Israeli people and the Jewish community” in a letter read out during the show. He also commented that the station will continue to program content that recognizes the tragedy of the October 7 attacks.

Yesterday, demonstrators clashed with Italian police outside the RAI offices in Naples. The demonstrators shouted their support for the Palestinian people facing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and accused the RAI of being biased against the Palestinian people.

The protest was a direct response to RAI and Sergio distancing themselves from Mr. Ghaly’s Sanremo comments. According to a January 29 poll, 58% of Italians believe that Israel has no right to continue bombing Gaza, and 26% support the operation.

Five police officers and five protesters were injured in a clash outside the office, according to reports. answer.