It’s that time of the year again, folks! The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is just around the corner, and the preparations are in full swing. This is a nostalgic moment for me. Eurovision was a regular feature in my childhood, and our neighbours would come together to set up “Eurovision Night.” The entire neighbourhood would gather in front of a retro grey TV and watch the most vibrant and eccentric night in Europe. We would pick out one of the twenty-eight countries that we could barely pronounce from a hat and hope it would be our golden ticket to a whopping €50 cash prize.
Every summer when the season approaches, my family still keeps its little tradition of coming together to watch the absurdness that is Eurovision. But over the years it’s become increasingly difficult for me to maintain this romanticised version that little Emma curated of the Eurovision. As I grew up, I began to notice that behind all the flashy performances and nauseating colours, geopolitical games were at play.
The ESC was established on May 24th, 1956, by the European Broadcasting Unit (EBU) to bring Europeans together after the horrors of World War II. While it was initially an experiment in transnational television broadcasting, it has since become one of the most successful and longest-running television programs featuring an annual international televised musical competition. According to the official ESC website, it states that “The ESC is a non-political event. All Participating Broadcasters, including the Host Broadcaster, shall be responsible to ensure that all necessary measures are undertaken […] to make sure that the ESC shall in no case be politicized and/or instrumentalized and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.”
Now, if you’re an avid follower like myself, you will understand that this is simply not the case, no matter how hard the EBU try to reinforce this agenda. This protocol severely lacked credibility in the 2022 ESC in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on the 24th of February 2022. EBU officials initially stated that both Russia and Ukraine would still be allowed to compete in the competition, reiterating the “non-political” nature of the event. Following outrage levied by fellow competing countries, on the 25th of February 2022, the EBU officially announced that Russia would not be taking in that year’s Eurovision as it would “bring the competition into disrepute”. The EBU were quick to make its stance in relation to Russia and its invasion of Ukraine and it was most certainly a political stance. However, if you ask me, the EBU’s silence on the ongoing conflict concerning Israel and Palestine is deafening and has now brought the competition into disrepute.
I’m sure most, if not all of you, are aware of Israel’s waging war on Gaza, but if you would like to read more about this, I highly suggest you read Adelaide’s article that discusses it here. Rightfully, the ESC has come under pressure to exclude Israel from this year’s competition due to its sick and inhumane acts on Gaza. More than 20 politicians wrote to the EBU stating that Israel’s participation in the 2023 ESC “whitewashes a regime that is carrying out ethnic cleansing in Palestine and committing war crimes and genocide”. As of writing this article, Israel is still set to participate in the 2024 ESC and has chosen Eden Golen to represent the disgraced country. She was selected for her performance of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” which she dedicated to the 130 Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, stating “We won’t truly be okay until everyone is home”. As of now, bookmakers have placed Israel in fifth place in their predictions of who will win this year’s Eurovision.
The EBU has now decided to reinforce its “apolitical” stance as Noel Curran, director of the EBU hypocritically stated “Comparisons between wars and conflicts are complex and difficult and, as a non-political media organisation, not ours to make”. This tone-deaf response has caused outrage amongst fellow competitors and nations as a whole. In retaliation, musicians and fans have decided to make their stance by boycotting the 2024 ESC. Musicians and protestors in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Ireland have sent letters to the EBU urging public broadcasters to exclude Israel from the contest. Iceland is rightfully reconsidering its participation, which comes as no surprise due to its public support for Palestine, most notably in 2019 after being fined €5,000 for displaying scarves with the Palestinian flag in the final being held in Tel Aviv.
Ireland’s stance and response to the EBU’s decision have been tremendous. A petition started by Olivia O’Sullivan asking RTE to boycott the ESC 2024 has exceeded more than 3,000 votes on changeorg. Ireland’s own Bambie Thug who will be representing the tri-colour, made their stance known reminding us that “When things were going on with Ukraine, Russia wasn’t allowed to enter, so I don’t think there should be a rule for one and a different for another”.
While angered but not surprised at the EBU’s response, the public’s reaction and response has given me faith and hope in humanity and has reminded me why I love Eurovision. If the EBU doesn’t dare to dismiss Israel from Eurovision, the public most certainly will with their votes and their relentless retaliation.
If you wish to participate in the boycott of Israel and show your solidarity for Palestine please consider signing Olivia O’Sullivan’s petition here.
