L’Eurovision 2024 has already started with the first rehearsals underway, but obviously next week will be the central one, with the three live shows that Italy will be able to follow on Rai 2 (the semi-finals on Tuesday 7th and Thursday 9th, live from 9pm) e Rai 1 (the final on Saturday 11th live from 8.35pm), with commentary by Gabriele Corsi and Mara Maionchi, as well as everything on Radio 2 (comment by Diletta Parlangeli and Matteo Osso).
The event supervisor, Martin Ӧsterdahl spoke to the Swedish business newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (the equivalent of our Il Sole 24 Ore) addressing the hot topics: security, Israel and politics.
No to hatred towards Eurovision 2024 participants
We obviously start from the great wave of hatred that has hit the competition, in particular the Israeli representative Eden Golan but also many other of the competing artists, accused by those who espouse the pro-Palestinian cause, of not having refused to participate despite their position in support of the populations of Gaza. Ӧsterdahl is clear on this point:
There is a lot of hatred in the media and on social media, hatred against the participants and this goes hand in hand with those who say that it is not safe to have a Eurovision event that brings together so many people at a time like this. But hate has no citizenship at Eurovision, we are fighting hard for this. We have already crossed the tolerance line: artists should not be afraid to show their art form because there is a conflict somewhere in the world and we have nothing to do with it: it is absolutely absurd.
Safety priority
As already said, it will still be an armored Eurovision for Eden Golan, to which the Shin Bet she advised to stay locked in the hotel room for safety reasons when she doesn’t have to participate in official events or rehearsals and live performances. The singer did not take part in the pre-Eurovisual events and she will not participate in the Turquoise Carpet.
There is fear of attacks and for this reason the Nordic Force was called in, with police also from Sweden and Denmark, with the Swedish patrol also being strengthened. Ӧsterdahl however reassures:
As far as safety is concerned, we have been at our best on this front for many years and I can assure you that the public and all those who work here in various capacities for eight to nine weeks are safe. Will there be demonstrations? Very likely. Will the police be able to handle them? I really think so
Kan thwarted by Netanyahu
The crux of the interview is but what concerns Kan, the Israeli broadcaster. Ӧsterdahl also responds to criticism regarding Israel’s participation and in particular to those who called for the broadcaster’s disqualification, making comparisons with what happened with Russia:
The only condition for a broadcaster to be disqualified is that they break the rules. Russian TV did it: the disinformation it started spreading about the invasion of Ukraine was too much. But while Russian TV is an extension of Putin and the Kremlin, the same cannot be said of Kan: Netanyahu tried to silence you. And as an independent broadcaster, we have a duty to support it.
And he also adds a clarification regarding Armenia and Azerbaijaneven these countries at war, specifically in relation to the Azerbaijani broadcaster
Regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is worth clarifying: Azerbaijan is not exactly a democracy and the independence of AzTv can be discussed (it is no coincidence that the other broadcaster Ictimai TV is participating ed.). But they have not yet crossed the line like Russia did
Politics, society and Eurovision
In a similar context, obviously, it is logical that political events also influence Eurovision. Ӧsterdahl However, he explains that it is essential to always find points of union, even in the context of geopolitical events that can mark the path of various countries:
People living in war zones also live in a crisis and a bubble, this must be understood. I spend a lot of time explaining to delegations that once you are on stage you have to take off your coat and focus on what unites us. The only thing we have to control is those three minutes on stage and that’s why I sometimes get frustrated when people want politics out of Eurovision.”
The Interview then addresses the purely economic aspects of the event and traces the professional history of the Swedish manager, son of an important record producer, a great expert on Russia given that he obtained a master’s degree in Economic Studies of Russia and Eastern Europe with a in-depth semester in St. Petersburg. It was he, who speaks Russian perfectly, who disqualified Belarus in 2021 after the two songs presented by Galasy ZMesta, who respectively mocked the anti-Lukashenko and then EBU and all the participants in the event.
