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Controversies of the Eurovision Song Contest

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The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which features participants representing primarily European countries. One of the stated aims of the contest is that the event is of a non-political nature, and participating broadcasters and performers are precluded from promoting or referring to anything of a political, commercial or similar nature during the contest. However, several controversial moments have occurred since the event's creation in 1956, which have included political tensions between competing countries being reflected in the contest's performances and voting, disqualification of entries due to political references in song lyrics, and demonstrations against certain countries competing due to said country's politics and policies.

Armenia and Azerbaijan

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Main article: Armenia–Azerbaijan relations in the Eurovision Song Contest

The continuing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has affected the contest on numerous occasions since both countries began competing in the late 2000s. In 2009, a number of people in Azerbaijan who voted for the Armenian entry were reportedly questioned by Azeri police.[1] Armenia's entry to the 2015 contest received a name change following claims that it contained a call for recognition of the Armenian genocide, in contradiction to the contest's rules regarding political messaging in competing songs.[2][3][4] Controversy erupted again in 2016 when Armenia's Iveta Mukuchyan was shown waving the flag of the Republic of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway state internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan but largely inhabited by ethnic Armenians, at the contest's first semi-final.[5] This again contravened Eurovision rules on political gestures and resulted in disciplinary action being levied against Armenian broadcaster ARMTV.[6]

Russia and Ukraine

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Main article: Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest

Interactions between Russia and Ukraine in the contest had originally been positive in the first years of co-competition, however as political relations soured between the two countries following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Donbas, so too have relations at Eurovision become more complex. In 2016, Ukraine's Jamala won the contest with the song "1944", whose lyrics referenced the deportation of the Crimean Tatars. Given the events in Crimea, many saw this song as a political statement against Russia's actions, however the song was permitted to compete given the perceived historical nature of the song despite protests from the Russian delegation.[7][8] Calls for a Russian boycott of the 2017 contest in Ukraine were dismissed, however their selected representative for the contest in Kyiv, Yuliya Samoylova, was subsequently banned from entering Ukraine due to having performed in Crimea in 2015 and entering the region illegally according to Ukrainian law, by entering the region directly from Russia rather than going through Ukraine.[9] Offers for Samoylova to compete remotely from a venue in Russia or for a change of artist were rejected by Russia's Channel One, with Russia eventually pulling out of the contest and the EBU reprimanding Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC and threatening to exclude Ukraine from future contests.[10][11]

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, UA:PBC appealed to suspend Russian EBU member broadcasters VGTRK and Channel One from the union, and to exclude Russia from competing in that year's contest. The appeal alleged that since the beginning of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014, VGTRK and Channel One have been a mouthpiece for the Russian government and a key tool of political propaganda financed from the Russian state budget.[12] The EBU initially stated that Russia as well as Ukraine would still be allowed to participate in the contest, citing the non-political nature of the event.[13][14] Following complaints levied by other participating countries, on 25 February, the EBU announced that Russia would not be allowed to take part in the contest, as it would “bring the competition into disrepute.”[15][16] Ukraine went on to win the contest with the highest number of points from the televote in the contest's history.[17]

Following its 2022 win, Ukraine was initially given the opportunity to host the 2023 contest, however, the EBU later decided that the country would not be able to host due to security concerns caused by the Russian invasion,[18] with the United Kingdom, which had finished in second place in 2022, being chosen to host on Ukraine's behalf.[19] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested to address the audience during the final of that year's contest, but the EBU subsequently rejected his request on the basis of its wish to "not politicize the event".[20] Ternopil, the hometown of that year's Ukrainian representatives Tvorchi, was targeted by Russian missile strikes ahead of Tvorchi's performance; the duo later held up a makeshift sign with 'Ternopil' written on it during the recap of the competing performances.[21]

Georgian withdrawal in 2009

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Further information: Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Georgia's planned entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow caused controversy: in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War, Stephane and 3G were selected to compete with the song "We Don't Wanna Put In", however the EBU objected to the lyrics as they appeared to criticise Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Requests by the EBU for the lyrics of the song to be changed were refused by the group, and Georgian broadcaster GPB subsequently withdrew from the event.[22][23] A number of boycotts of the contest were considered by the Baltic states over Russia's actions in Georgia, however none eventually occurred, with Estonian broadcaster ERR hosting a poll on its website to gauge public opinion on competing in Russia.[23][24]

Israeli participation

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Further information: Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
A painted mural on a wall on a street in Girona, Spain: the Eurovision trophy appears covered in barbed wire surrounded by tower blocks, with the words "#BoycottEurovision2019" above, and "Free Palestine" in English and Arabic to the top left
A mural in Girona promoting a boycott of the 2019 contest in Israel

Israel first competed in the contest in 1973, becoming the first country from outside of Europe to enter. Its participation in the contest over the years has been at times controversial, but it has remained a regular competitor in the contest and been crowned the winner on four occasions. The country's first appearance was marked by an increased security presence at the contest venue in Luxembourg City than what would have been considered normal in the early 1970s, coming less than a year after the Munich massacre where 11 members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team were killed by the Palestinian militant organisation Black September. Armed guards were stationed at the venue, and the audience in attendance were warned not to stand during the show at the risk of being shot.[25][26][27]

The contest was regularly broadcast in the Arab world during the 1970s, however as many of these countries did not recognise Israel, their broadcasters typically cut to advertisements when Israel performed.[28] When in 1978 it became apparent that Israel was on course to win the contest, the broadcast in many of these countries was cut short before the end of the voting, with Jordanian broadcaster JRTV explaining the end of its transmission as due to "technical difficulties" and concluding its transmission with an image of daffodils; Jordanian media later announced that Belgium, the eventual runner-up, had won instead.[29][30][31]

Israel's participation in the contest means that many Arab states that are eligible to participate in the contest choose not to do so, however, a number of attempts have been made by some of those countries to enter. Tunisia had applied to take part in the 1977 contest, and had been drawn to perform fourth on stage, but later withdrew.[32][33] Morocco competed for the first, and to date the only time, in 1980, when Israel had withdrawn from the contest due to it being held on the same night as Yom HaZikaron.[a][36][37][38] Most recently, Lebanon had signed up to compete in the 2005 contest, and had selected "Quand tout s'enfuit" as its debut entry, to be performed by Aline Lahoud. After being told by the EBU that it would have to broadcast the entire programme in full, including the Israeli entry, Télé Liban responded that it could not guarantee this as it would be incompatible with Lebanese law. The broadcaster therefore withdrew its entry, resulting in sanctions from the EBU due to the late withdrawal.[39]

Israel has hosted the contest on three occasions, with the first two (1979 and 1999) being held in Jerusalem. Due to the preparations and rehearsals which accompany the contest, and the Saturday evening timeslot for the final, objections from Orthodox religious leaders in the country regarding the potential interruption to Shabbat have been raised on all three occasions. In 1979, these objections were largely ignored and preparations for the contest were held mostly unchanged from standard, however, Turkey was pressured into withdrawing from the contest by Arab states who objected to a predominantly Muslim country taking part in Israel.[40][28] Objections were again raised in 1999 with regards to the contest being held around Shabbat, as well as criticism levelled against Dana International, the contest's first trans winner, leading to an attempt to stop the contest being held in Israel at all. However, all of these criticisms were in vain and the contest went ahead as planned.[41][42]

In 2019, a number of controversial incidents occurred in the run-up to that year's contest in Tel Aviv. Requests were once again received from Orthodox leaders that the contest not interfere with Shabbat, with a letter penned by Yaakov Litzman, leader of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, to several government departments demanding that the contest not violate the holy day.[43] Shalva Band, one of the competing entries in the country's national selection for that year's contest, ultimately withdrew from contention when told that, should they win, they would be required to perform in rehearsals on the Shabbat; the group ultimately performed as an interval act during the contest's second semi-final.[44][45]

A mural protesting Israel's participation in the 2024 contest in Malmö

The 2019 contest also saw calls from a number of different groups for a boycott of the event, which included proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in response to the country's policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as in opposition to what some see as "pinkwashing" by the Israeli government.[46][47] However, others also campaigned against a boycott of the event, asserting that any cultural boycott would be antithetical to advancing peace in the region.[48] Most notably, the Icelandic entrants Hatari raised banners showing the Palestinian flag as their televoting points were announced in the final;[49] this eventually caused the Icelandic participating broadcaster RÚV to be fined €5,000.[50]

Israel's participation in the contest was again put into controversy ahead of the 2024 edition in Malmö, Sweden, following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in October 2023 and the humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli military operations in Gaza during the war.[51][52][53][54] A separate controversy erupted regarding the lyrics of the song Israel had originally submitted the 2024 contest, "October Rain". The EBU ruled that the song was in violation of the rules, as its lyrics appeared to reference the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas-led Palestinian militants. Israel eventually submitted a modified version of the song with a new title, "Hurricane", which was accepted by the EBU to compete.[55][56][57] Protests against Israel's participation were held in Malmö during the contest,[58] and Israel's performances were met with booing from the audience.[59] The Israeli cosmetics company Moroccanoil, the main sponsor of the contest since 2020, also came under scrutiny, with some speculating that the EBU refused to discuss the issue of Israel's participation because of Moroccanoil's role as a sponsor.[60][61]

Notes

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  1. ^ The night of the 1980 contest, 19 April 1980, was the start of Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for fallen soldiers of Israel.[34] Contrary to claims by some sources, it was not Holocaust Memorial Day, or Yom HaShoah, which fell on 13–14 April that year.[35]

References

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  1. ^ "Azerbaijanis in Eurovision probe". BBC News. BBC. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Rules". ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Armenia changes song title". Eurovision Song Contest. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. ^ Lomsadze, Giorgi (17 March 2015). "Armenia Dodges Eurovision Controversy". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  5. ^ Royston, Benny (11 May 2016). "Armenia threatened with Eurovision disqualification after breaking regional flag rule". Metro. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  6. ^ Halpin, Chris (11 May 2016). "EBU sanctions Armenian broadcaster over Nagorno-Karabakh flag incident". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. ^ Savage, Mark (22 February 2016). "Eurovision: Ukraine's entry aimed at Russia". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. ^ Withnall, Adam (15 May 2016). "Russian officials threaten to boycott next Eurovision after victory for 'political' Ukraine entry". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Eurovision 2017: Ukraine bars Russian singer Samoilova from contest". BBC News. BBC. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. ^ "EBU: "Russia no longer able to take part in Eurovision 2017"". Eurovision Song Contest. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Eurovision threatens to ban Ukraine over Russian singer row". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Суспільне вимагає припинити членство російських ЗМІ у ЄМС" [Suspilne demands the termination of the membership of the Russian media in the EBU]. suspilne.media (Press release) (in Ukrainian). UA:PBC. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  13. ^ Green, Alex (24 February 2022). "Russia can compete in Eurovision despite Ukraine invasion, organisers say". The Independent. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  14. ^ Wyser, Daniel (24 February 2022). "Trots krigshandling – Ryssland välkomnas fortfarande till ESC". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  15. ^ "EBU statement regarding the participation of Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Eurovision: Russia banned from competing at 2022 Song Contest". BBC News. BBC. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  17. ^ Goujard, Clothilde (15 May 2022). "Bombarded at home, Ukraine finds symbolic win at Eurovision". Politico. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ^ "EBU Statement on Hosting of 2023 Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  19. ^ "BBC sets out Host City process and production plans for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest". bbc.co.uk (Press release). BBC. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  20. ^ Yossman, K.J. (12 May 2023). "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'Barred' From Eurovision Telecast". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Ukraine Eurovision act's city Ternopil attacked before performance". BBC News. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Eurovision axes 'anti-Putin' song". BBC News. BBC. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  23. ^ a b West 2020, pp. 253–257.
  24. ^ Stella, Floras (17 September 2008). "Estonia will participate in 2009 Eurovision!". esctoday.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  25. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 52–55.
  26. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Luxembourg 1973". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  27. ^ West 2020, pp. 83–86.
  28. ^ a b Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
  29. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Paris 1978". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  30. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 72–75.
  31. ^ West 2020, pp. 103–105.
  32. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 68–71.
  33. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: London 1977". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  34. ^ Yom HaZikaron 1980, Hebcal.
  35. ^ Yom HaShoah 1980, Hebcal.
  36. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 80–83.
  37. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: The Hague 1980". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  38. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
  39. ^ "Lebanon withdraws from Eurovision". BBC News. BBC. 18 March 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  40. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 76–79.
  41. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 156–159.
  42. ^ "Entertainment Scandinavians tipped for Eurovision success". BBC News. BBC. 29 May 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  43. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (14 May 2018). "Litzman demands Shabbat not be violated for Eurovision 2019". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  44. ^ Kavaler, Ron (6 February 2019). "Israel: The Shalva Band withdraws from The Next Star…but they will perform at Semi-Final 2 of Eurovision 2019". wiwibloggs.com. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  45. ^ "Shalva Band – A Million Dreams – Interval Act – Second Semi-FInal Eurovision 2019". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  46. ^ Farrell, Stephen (10 May 2019). "Israel counters Eurovision boycott campaign with Google ads". Reuters. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  47. ^ Maikey, Haneen; Aked, Hilary (4 March 2019). "L'Eurovision comme occasion de pinkwashing pour Israël – la communauté LGBT+ devrait le boycotter" [Eurovision as a pinkwashing opportunity for Israel – the LGBT+ community should boycott it]. agencemediapalestine.fr/ (in French). Agence Médias Palestine. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  48. ^ Sherwin, Adam (30 April 2019). "Eurovision 2019: Stephen Fry & Sharon Osbourne lead celebrities rejecting boycott of Israel Song Contest". i. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  49. ^ Fiorentino, Michael-Ross (19 May 2019). "Iceland's Hatari raises Palestinian flags during Eurovision results". euronews. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  50. ^ "Iceland's RÚV fined €5000 over Hatari Palestinian flag incident". wiwibloggs. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  51. ^ Asido, Shahar (19 November 2023). "מה יעלה בגורלה של ישראל באירוויזיון?" [What will happen to Israel in Eurovision?]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  52. ^ Marshall, Alex; Sella, Adam (7 February 2024). "Israel Chooses a Eurovision Act as Boycott Campaigns Swirl". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  53. ^ Savage, Mark (8 February 2024). "Israel chooses Eurovision 2024 entrant amid calls for a boycott". BBC News. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  54. ^ "Gene Simmons, Helen Mirren, Boy George sign open letter supporting Israel's inclusion in Eurovision". The Guardian. 15 February 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  55. ^ Bugel, Safi (7 March 2024). "Israel to compete at Eurovision song contest after changing lyrics to its entry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  56. ^ Bryant, Miranda (7 April 2024). "'We are not the arena to solve a Middle East conflict': Sweden braced for a politically charged Eurovision". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  57. ^ "Why is Israel allowed to participate in Eurovision even though Russia was banned?". ABC News. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  58. ^ "Thousands protest against Israel's entry for Eurovision in Malmo". BBC News. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  59. ^ Johnson, Brooke Ivey (8 May 2024). "Israel's Eurovision performance drowned out by boos and 'Free Palestine' chants". Metro. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  60. ^ Sajovic, Kaja (11 May 2024). "Ali Izrael ni bil izključen, ker je glavni pokrovitelj in partner Evrovizije izraelsko podjetje?" [Wasn't Israel excluded because the main sponsor and partner of Eurovision is an Israeli company?] (in Slovenian). RTVSLO. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  61. ^ "What has Eurovision said about Israel being in the 2024 song contest?". Metro. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.

Sources:

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