Over the years the Eurovision song contest has been playfully accused of being about as neutral as it’s founding country when it comes to politics and regional block voting. These things have been considered a part of the whole experience for years. From the Nordic countries all voting for each other, to Ireland’s diasporic Polish community ensuring some points for their country each year, to the ever present hatred for letting the UK receive anything, the Eurovision would not be the same without these factors. So what is it that has drastically shifted in the social and political landscape of the Eurovision in the past few years?
In 2022, the EBU set a precedent for repercussion and political standing by indefinitely banning Russia from participating or broadcasting the contest after their invasion of Ukraine. This was all as part of the sanctions being placed against Russia in line with the EU’s course of action. In this simple decision to ban, the EBU opened themselves up to the responsibility of being politically steadfast and answerable from then on. They could no longer hide behind the, extremely loose, defense of “Eurovision is not political” when they had just willingly consented to partake in a huge political statement. They were applauded for this action, and the war on Ukraine became rather thematic in the ESC as Ukraine went on to win that year with Stefania, and the competition being hosted by 2022’s second placer, the UK. With a combination of British and Ukrainian culture and hosting, the competition had an undeniable stance on invasion, warfare, and therefore, politics.
This brings us to the 2024 competition. With huge international outcry against the horrific pain and suffering across the occupied nation of Palestine, there was a call for the EBU to repeat their same sanctions on Israel and have them removed from the competition. This time, the answer was a resounding no. As Israel has been a member of the EBU since the 1950s, they are deemed entitled to be a part of the competition despite being outside of Europe. The EBU returned to the age-old mantra of Eurovision being non-political despite the clear and direct hypocrisy of the statement, down to the Israeli entrant singing a song about October 7th. The competition was a mess from start to finish, the cherry on top being the rumours that Dutch participant, Joost Klein, was disqualified from the final for being vocally against the Israeli entrant, and the EBU’s lack of acknowledgement of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The real reason was allegedly an investigation into threats towards a member of staff at the competition, but nothing came of the investigation and it was quickly swept under the rug.
Calls for a boycott that year were heard far and wide but despite this, the EBU reported a grow in viewership, not as many unique viewers as the year before, but there seemed to be no noticeable difference even with people boycotting the event. Boycotts can be very effective, but with all the hatred aimed at Israel, it is possible that Israeli sympathisers tuned in just to show support. With their long history of participation and with brands like Morrocanoil being partners of the ESC, it’s clear that a break in that arrangement would come at a monetary loss for the EBU. There has been less talk of a boycott this year but there is certainly a change in opinion and appeal for the Eurovision. It is likely that they have done huge damage to their reputation among the current generation of viewers, the likes of which could take years to grow out of.
So what does this mean for the future of Eurovision? If the core of the show has been made about uniting the world through music, then how can the EBU expect this to be acceptable to those willing to speak against what Israel has done and continues to do? By prioritising profit and sponsor accumulation, is the ESC going over the line between careless institute and beloved intercultural celebration?
With the disillusionment caused by the competition and those who run it, I could definitely see a reality in which the Eurovision continues out of tradition rather than out of enjoyment, as more and more interest wanes with a generation that barely even wants to watch TV anymore.
