"Therefore, the European flag may be used ... people want to express their identity and Eurovision has always been a space where we've actively encouraged and celebrated that," Green said ...

The European Union’s culture chief hit out at Eurovision for banning performers from waving the EU flag, saying Europeans should not need permission to celebrate their identity. The circle of stars ...

The European flag was one of the symbols of the protests ... decided to keep the arena as apolitical a space as possible amid extremely high tensions over Israel’s participation.