The organizers ofEurovision Song Contest (Esc) take to the field to brand as “unacceptable and totally unfair” insults and pressure on competing artists for the participation of Israel to the contest.
The boycott
L’Esc 2024 will begin Tuesday 7 May 2024with the first of the two semi-finals, and will take place at Malmo Arenato Malmo, in Sweden. The second semi-final is scheduled for Thursday 9 May, while the final will be held on Saturday 11 May. But for weeks, calls have been made in several countries to boycott the event due to the presence of Israel, which will compete with the singer Eden Golan and the song Hurricane.
At the end of March, Olly Alexanderwhich will represent theEngland with the song Dizzy, had said he would not give in to calls to withdraw from the competition in protest at Israel’s participation. The British competitor had responded to an open letter from more than 450 artists and associations who urged him to boycott the event in protest against the war in Gazaexpressing his desire for peace, but stating that he believes in the unifying power of music.
In recent days, then, the news has circulated that Eden Golan received hate messages and death threats on his Instagram account. And the Jerusalem Post reported that the artist will be accompanied to Malmö by a security apparatus “three times” larger than normal.
The organizers
For these reasons, the European Broadcasting Union (Ebu), which organizes Eurovision, intervened with a statement in which, Jean Philip De Tenderdeputy director general ofEbustates: “The European Broadcasting Union recognizes the depth of feelings and strong opinions that this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – set against the backdrop of a terrible war in the Middle East – has aroused”.
“We understand – continues the statement – that people will want to engage in debate and express their deeply held opinions on this topic. We were all struck by the images, the stories and the unquestionable pain suffered by those living in Israel and Gaza. However – adds De Tender – we wish to address the concerns and discussions surrounding this situation, in particular the targeted social media campaigns against some of our participating artists”.
The role of artists
“The decision to include any broadcaster, including the Israeli broadcaster Kan, in the Eurovision Song Contest is the exclusive responsibility of the governing bodies of the EBU and not of the individual artists. These artists come to Eurovision to share their music, culture and the universal message of unity through the language of music.”
No to hate and respect and inclusiveness
“While we firmly support freedom of speech and the right to express opinions in a democratic society – underlines the deputy director of the EBU – we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, incitement to hatred or harassment towards our artists or any individual associated with the competition. This is unacceptable and totally unfair, given that the artists have no role in this decision.”
And then: “The EBU is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all participants, staff and fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to promote the values of respect, inclusiveness and understanding, both online and offline. We urge everyone to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue and to support the artists who work tirelessly – on what is a spectacle of music and entertainment – to share their music with the world”, concludes the Note.
