The Winter Olympics opening ceremony is facing controversy over the inclusion of a rapper who accused Israel of "genocide” in an onstage outburst.
Rapper Ghali Amdouni, born in Milan to Tunisian parents and who is known by his first name, is due on stage in front of athletes including the Israeli bobsleigh team on February 6.
"It's truly incredible to find a hater of Israel and the centre-right – who has already been involved in embarrassing and vulgar scenes – at the opening ceremony. Italy and the games do not deserve a pro-Pal fanatic," one source from the right-wing Lega Nord party told Sky Italia.
Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, also voiced concern: "I hope Ghali has received some indications or guidelines [on the] role he must play... I hope he will understand what he must do in that context and at that time."
Two years ago, while on stage for the final of the Sanremo Festival and only four months after Hamas carried out their October 7 atrocities, Ghali accused Israel of committing “genocide".
Following the comments Israel’s Rome ambassador Alon Bar posted that Ghali could have expressed solidarity with the victims of October 7 instead.
Addressing the concern over his presence at the Winter Olympics, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said he did not expect Ghali to use the stage to send a political message.
"I am not embarrassed to disagree with Ghali's views and the messages he has sent, but I believe that a country must be able to absorb the impact of an artist who has expressed an opinion that we do not share, which will not be expressed on that stage," he said.
The opening ceremony is next Friday and Ghali will find himself performing at an event watched by tens of millions of people around the world.
Speaking in response to the row that followed his Sanremo comments, Ghali said: "I've always spoken about these issues since I was a child. Not since October 7…. What else would I have used this stage for?
“We're all for peace, there's no doubt about that.
“The politics of terror continues, people are afraid to say stop the war, stop the genocide, we're living in a moment in which people feel they're losing something if they say 'long live peace.'
"There are children in the middle: those children who are dying, who knows how many stars, how many doctors, teachers, how many geniuses, are there in the middle."
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