The UK's entry for Eurovision 2024 will be allowed to continue to express his political opinions on social media, despite causing outrage over his views on Israel.
Pop singer Olly Alexander, who fronted the ban Years and Years, found himself under fire earlier this week after it emerged he had previously signed a letter calling Israel an “apartheid regime” and condemning “Zionist propaganda”.
His opinions sparked outrage with some even demanding that the 33-year-old be replaced for the singing contest.
Israel, which also takes part in Eurovision, even went so far as to accuse the BBC of shirking its "moral responsibility" by keeping Alexander as the UK entry.
Olly Alexander was announced as the UK's representative earlier this monthPAThe national broadcaster is in charge of picking who will represent the country each year.
Alexander will be allowed to continue to express his opinions because the BBC's official social media guidelines give exceptions to musicians.
A BBC source highlighted to The Telegraph that the guidelines state: "Actors, dramatists, comedians, musicians and pundits who work for the BBC are not subject to the requirements of impartiality on social media."
The letter Alexander signed accused Israel of genocide and said those supporting the Jewish state were responsible for "unthinking philosemitism".
Alexander, 33, endorsed a statement by gay rights charity Voices4London which is 'in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement'
GettyThe remarks were made in response to Israel's bombing of Gaza in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Once the pop star's views came to light earlier this week, the Embassy of Israel in London said on social media: “Clearly, Olly Alexander graduated from the Middle Eastern School of TikTok.
"We would be happy to arrange a trip for you to visit the Oct 7 massacre sites in Israel, where the rights of LGBTQ+ [people] are celebrated, protected and cherished.
"Unfortunately, our neighbours can’t guarantee the same."
The BBC also came under pressure over the act it picked to represent the UK earlier this year.
Old tweets from Mae Muller re-emerged in which the left-wing activist tweeted "I hate this country" and that she had applied for a German passport as "it means we can live in Spain".
In a series of extreme tweets from 2020, Muller also branded the Conservative Party “racist and elitist” while campaigning for hard left ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
