At the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, the Albanian entry is causing political controversy – at least in Serbia.

The trigger: Beatriçe Gjergji, singer of the band Shkodra Elektronike, made a double eagle gesture with her hands in front of the camera after Albania qualified for the ESC final – a symbol that triggers strong emotions in the region.

“Provocation” or expression of identity?

Several reports in major Serbian media outlets such as Telegraf, Blic and Kurir describe the performance as “provocative” and “shocking.” They are demanding nothing less than the immediate disqualification of Albania from the competition. The reason: in Serbia, the double eagle gesture is widely interpreted as a symbol of “Greater Albania” – a politically charged term associated with territorial claims.

It was not the musical performance itself that caused criticism – on the contrary: Albania was celebrated by many fans worldwide after the second semi-final and qualified for the final with ease. However, the singer’s gesture after the decision immediately sparked a heated debate.

EBU: No rule violation – national flags are allowed

The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), responded to a request from the Swiss media outlet 20 Minuten as follows:

“The gesture is an expression of Albanian identity and is derived from the Albanian flag. National flags are permitted in the Eurovision Song Contest, so we will not comment further on this matter.”

According to ESC rules, political messages or gestures on and behind the stage are prohibited – violations are punishable by sanctions up to and including disqualification. However, the double eagle gesture, which is derived from the coat of arms of the Albanian national flag, is not considered a political statement by the EBU, but rather a cultural expression.

Not an isolated case: the double eagle as a recurring symbol

This is not the first time that this gesture has caused controversy at the ESC or in sports. Back in 2021 at the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Swiss artist Gjon’s Tears – a singer with Albanian-Kosovar roots – used the same gesture to thank Albania for its points. There was also isolated criticism at the time, but it had no official consequences.

A particularly prominent case also occurred at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Swiss national players Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, and Stephan Lichtsteiner also displayed the double eagle after scoring a goal against Serbia. FIFA subsequently fined all three players between 5,000 and 10,000 Swiss francs because of the politically charged nature of the gesture.

Image:
Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons