Hatari, a BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) techno-punk band/performance art group has made harsh criticism of Israel before the song contest.“It is really absurd to allow a state that repeatedly violates human rights to participate in such a competition, whether the state is called Israel, Russia, Qatar or anything else,” the band said in an interview to the Icelandic newspaper Stundin in February.“If Iceland’s contestant does not use their influence to point out the obvious, the absurdity of frolicking and dancing at the same time as millions live just a few miles away with reduced freedom and constant uncertainty about their own well-being and safety, then we have failed. If Iceland’s contestant ignores the fact that the competition is inherently political, he does little to diminish the need for a critical conversation about Israel.” Following the band's showing of the Palestinian flags, the EBU commented on Sunday morning claiming that “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event and this directly contradicts the contest rules.”