Created in 1956, the
Eurovision
song contest is open to all members of the European Union and to certain countries outside Europe, including
Israel
since 1973. Although supposedly apolitical, preparations for the 2024 edition have been shaken up for several weeks by the participation of the Hebrew State, hotly contested because of the response initiated by the Netanyahu government in the Gaza Strip after the attacks of October 7. Already in 2022, Russia was excluded from the event because of the invasion of Ukraine.
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According to a petition opened in Sweden, the country where the event will be held this year,
“allowing countries which deny the rules of international humanitarian law to participate in this international cultural event, trivializes the violation of this right, and makes the suffering of the victims invisible”
. The text was signed by nearly a thousand artists. However, the EBU, historical organizer of the competition, did not follow up. Several voices then called for a boycott, including Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Denmark.
Read alsoEurovision: Israeli public television announces that its participation has been validated
Call for peace and unification
Others, on the other hand, decided to maintain their participation, not in support of Israel, but as a reminder of the message of peace, love and unity that this competition has carried since its creation. While the Queer for Palestine collective asked him to withdraw,
the British singer and candidate
Olly Alexander,
for example, made the decision to participate. He explained this on March 29 on social networks.
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“I received a letter a few days ago from Queers for Palestine asking me to withdraw from the Eurovision contest and I responded to them directly, a response that I share this morning
,” he wrote in a post published on X (ex -Twitter). In his letter, which he also published, he renews his
“unreserved support for the measures taken to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the security of all civilians in Palestine and in Israel"
, but declares that, like a number of participants:
“We decided that taking part in the event is also a way to call for unification and peace. I hope and pray that this appeal will be heard and that the atrocities committed in Gaza will end.”
The artist ends by thanking the 8 co-signatories of the letter, including the representatives of Ireland, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland. For the record, Olly Alexander provoked strong reactions by signing a column accusing Israel of apartheid and genocide...
The 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Malmö, Sweden,
on Tuesday May 7 and Saturday May 11
and will be broadcast live on dozens of television channels. The singer Slimane will represent France with the song Mon amour. As a member of the “Big Five”, France is automatically qualified for the final.