The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is just under six months away. After Loreen‘s victory with the song “Tattoo” last May, the competition will take place in Malmö.
Israel as part of Eurovision Song Contest
Israel has been a part of Eurovision since 1973 and has won the contest four times. They are not the only non-European country participating. Australia and Armenia are examples of recurring non-European participants. Countries such as Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan also have the opportunity to compete but have chosen not to do so. Non-European countries have the opportunity to participate due to their membership of the EBU.
Despite the fact that Belarus and Russia are located in Europe, they cannot participate in Eurovision today as they are excluded from the EBU.
Activists call for a boycott of Eurovision
Now, several campaigns are underway on social media calling for a boycott of Eurovision, due to the participation of Israel. Ida Helene Benonisen is a Norwegian activist who fights for the rights of the Sámi and LGBTQ people.
“I think there is a double standard in excluding Russia while allowing Israel to continue to participate in the competition, despite the fact that they are violating international law – something even the UN has pointed out. Europe should show that we do not support their actions.”
In a post that has received a quarter of a million views on Tiktok, she explains how member states can be urged to refrain from sending entries to the competition if Israel participates:
“During my time at the Norwegian MGP in the before Eurovision 2022, I realised that the member states’ threat not to participate if Russia was involved, played a crucial role in the decision to exclude Russia from the competition”
Controversies surrounding Israel’s participation in Eurovision
The last time Malmö hosted the music competition, in 2013, the chairman of the Left Party in Malmö wanted to ban Israel from participating. At the same time, the Israeli embassy appealed to the city of Malmö to increase security after the violent riots that occurred in 2009 in reaction to the tennis match between Israel and Sweden in Malmö. After the music competition, the Israeli delegates reported that they were subjected to anti-Semitic threats. In 2016, the Palestinian flag was banned from the music competition. In 2019, the Icelandic entry was fined after displaying a Palestinian banner during the competition in Tel Aviv, Israel.
What will happen in Malmö next May?
The EBU has still not given a final decision on which countries will participate in Malmö next year, but the plan right now is for Israel to participate as usual.
Karin Karlsson is the City of Malmö‘s overall project manager for the Eurovision Song Contest. She had the same role in 2013.
“In 2013, we took safety into account. But in 2024, it’s a much more complex security situation. It’s an issue we work on every day.”
Karin Karlsson emphasizes that it is not the City of Malmö that decides who can compete, but that all countries that compete are welcome to Malmö. At the same time, there should be room for democratic protests, if desired.
“There are many forces that want to create a nice folk festival here in Malmö. At the same time, we are a democracy and it is important to show that.”
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is organized in collaboration with the city of Malmö and will be broadcast from Malmö Arena on Tuesday 7 May (semi-final 1), Thursday 9 May (semi-final 2) and Saturday 11 May (final).
Source: Helsingborgs Dagblad
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