Dissatisfaction with Israel’s presence in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest stems from the country’s attack on Palestine last October. At least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since then. The open war is a revenge for the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas – the terrorists killed 1,139 Israeli civilians and kidnapped others. For several months, Israel has been attacking, in addition to military targets, hospitals, refugee camps and residential districts in response – in many people’s opinion a decidedly disproportionate response.
The organizer of Eurovision 2024 has been extremely criticized this year
Even before Eurovision began, many people suggested that the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, exclude Israel from the competition. Many people pointed out that this country should face similar consequences as Russia after launching a full-scale invasion in Ukraine. However, the EBU did not decide to apply sanctions against Israel, and additionally frequently reminded that the competition was “apolitical”. This year, the organizer is paying special attention to, for example, attempts by audience members to show Palestinian flags. This is met with criticism not only in the media or the audience, but also on the streets of Malmo, where .
While in the semi-finals one could get the impression that the microphones were set to collect applause, because the boos and whistles during Eden Golan’s performance were much less audible than during rehearsals during Saturday’s final. Several dozen minutes later, a representative of the Israeli jury was also booed when she presented the voting results of its members. We heard even stronger whistles at a rather surprising moment.
Israel was booed, but Österdahl got hurt. Twice
For several years, one of the most popular figures of the competition has been Swedish television producer Erik Martin Österdahl. Since 2020, he has been the executive producer of the Eurovision Song Contest and therefore he is the one who always confirms on-air that the voting was conducted correctly and the results of the competition can be announced. During this year’s finale, you could even hear a funny, though sometimes bizarre, song sung in his honor. However, during his traditional post-voting speech, Österdahl was booed. Similarly, the audience gave him the same treatment when he announced who got 12 points for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands decided not to report the jury voting results itself. This is related to the disqualification of their representative. Joost Klein was removed from the competition on the day the final was broadcast. He allegedly committed violence against one of the people working to organize the concert.
“Avrotros considers the punishment to be very harsh and disproportionate. We stand for good manners – let there be no doubt about that – but in our opinion the exclusion order is not proportionate to the incident,” commented the Dutch broadcaster. Many people share this opinion and express it, among others: precisely by booing Österdahl.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
