JJ demands ESC without Israel - rooding political controversy!

JJ demands ESC without Israel - rooding political controversy!

Austria's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) Winner JJ, whose bourgeois name is Johannes Pietsch, has a clear point of view in the current debate about the participation of Israel in the ESC 2025. He expressed the desire for a competition without Israel and described his participation as "very disappointing". In his statements, he emphasized that the final decision on participation lies with the European Radio Union (EBU), which the ESC has been organizing since 1956. "It is very disappointing that Israel is still taking part in the competition," said JJ, who won the ESC 2025 with his song "Wasted Love" in Basel. The situation is particularly tense because Israel's participation is in the context of the nearby conflict, which was triggered by a devastating terrorist attack by Hamas in October 2023, in which over 50,000 people have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip.

The debate about Israel's participation has also caused political reactions. Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria, criticized JJ Scharf and described his statements as "politically dangerously advisable". She accused him of placing Israel in a row with Russia without taking into account the context of the terrorist attack, which led to 1,200 dead and kidnapped hostages. Mikl-Leitner said that there will be no ESC in Lower Austria without Israel, which indicates the deep political tensions in the region.

political controversy and protests

The controversy about the participation of Israel in the ESC 2025 are not new. 70 former ESC participants, including last year's winner Nemo from Switzerland, have spoken out against the participation of Israel and demand exclusion, similar to Russia. The current representative of Israel at the ESC, Yuval Raphael, is a survivor of the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 and brought the song "New Day Will Rise", who reached second place in the final after taking first place in audience voting. Austria's victory, on the other hand, was based on the points of the specialist juries.

In order to defuse the conflict at the event, EBU has introduced a strict ban on flag that only allows official state flags. Despite this regulation, the audience may bring all flags permissible according to Swiss law, including Palestinian flags, which caused additional tensions among the participating countries. In the past few days there have already been protests against Israel's participation, including disorders in samples.

A look at the 2025

This year's ESC event takes place on May 17, 2025 and will be held in Switzerland. While Israel focuses on, the ESC event is traditionally considered apolitical. However, it is unmistakable that political issues and controversy are increasingly influencing event dynamics. The German Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer has described the demands for Israel's exclusion as "scandalous" and confirms the need to protect the cultural platform and international exchange by the ESC.

As the ESC 2025 will run in Basel, it remains to be seen, as everyone involved has to face the challenges that are caused by the current situation in the Middle East and the persecuting discussion on Israel. Among the Big Five, the largest donor in the ESC, are also Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain and Italy that are automatically represented in the final.