A dancer who wore a Palestinian flag during Madonna‘s controversial Eurovision Song Contest performance has claimed that she was grilled by airport security for over an hour.
The pop icon subtly addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine when she performed ‘Future’ with Quavo, which saw dancer Mona Berntsen wearing a Palestinian flag on her back. Another dancer was seen wearing an Israeli flag, before the pair exited the performance with their arms wrapped around each other.
Now, Berntsen has recalled the “intense” experience of being questioned by Israeli authorities as she attempted to leave the country after the performance.
“Thank you Madonna for having me as part of your statement, and for having me carry the Palestinian flag in front of the hundreds and millions of viewers. Unfortunately, the suppression in the West Bank is real. The hours following yesterday’s show have been intense, but never had I imagined feeling monitored in the way I was,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.
“Airport check-in passing my passport around, and then being held for interrogation for more than 1.5 hours! Having to tell my whole life story, my reasons for having travelled to Arabic countries throughout my life, my religious relations, my family matters, showing my detailed daily schedules for my stay, and having to explain exactly what I did and where I went last time I was in Jerusalem three years ago. EVERYTHING! On my way OUT of the country!
“All presumably for carrying a flag as part of a performance making a statement about a current conflict, to promote peace, unity and freedom. I can’t even imagine the monitoring and suppression the Palestinian people are facing on a daily basis.”
Berntsen added: “Thank you so much Madonna for using this performance to speak up.”
While there is nothing to suggest that Berntsen’s performance directly prompted the search, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv is known for operating strict passport control and questioning travellers on flights out of Israel.
The Eurovision Broadcasting Union previously said that the controversial inclusion of the flags had not been approved by the EBU, saying: “In the live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest grand final, two of Madonna’s dancers briefly displayed the Israeli and Palestinian flags on the back of their outfits.”
“This element of the performance was not part of rehearsals which had been cleared with the EBU and host broadcaster KAN. The Eurovision Song Contest is not a political event and Madonna had been made aware of this.”
Defending her performance, Madonna wrote: “Madame X is a freedom fighter. I am grateful. For the opportunity to spread the message of peace and unity with the world.”
Yesterday saw Madonna saw announce more shows as part of her 2020 London residency.
She’ll release her new album ‘Madame X’ on June 14.
