JJ criticizes Israel: ESC debate sparked about political dimensions!

JJ criticizes Israel: ESC debate sparked about political dimensions!

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024, which set the course for the grand finale on Saturday with the second semi -final round, is overshadowed by political tensions and social protests. Among the 37 participating countries, 26 have qualified for the final, including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and France, which have received an automatic entry due to their history. The German participant group Abor & Tynna hopes for recognition with her electro-pop song "Baller", while Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who starts with "New Day Will Rise", harvests mixed reactions in public.

In the current political debate, the focus is on Israeli participation, since the Israeli broadcaster can be criticized for both their membership in EBU and for the ongoing conflicts in the region. After an open letter of more than 70 former ESC participants, including last year's winner Nemo, who demands the exclusion of Israel, the discussion about the role of politics in the competition has been re-sparked. These demands are associated with the severe humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the continuing violence that has escalated since the massacre in October 2023, in which over 50,000 people were killed.

criticism and controversy

The current ESC winner JJ expressed his disappointment in a video that Russia was excluded while Israel can continue to participate. He described both countries as aggressors and later relativized these statements by apologizing if his words were misunderstood. However, JJ emphasized that he wanted to condemn the violent treatment of civilians regardless of their origin and to withdraw from other statements on this topic. The ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, made it clear that these statements did not reflect the station's official attitude.

The political reactions to JJ's statements are clear. Wolfgang Sobotka from the ÖVP described his statements as unacceptable and forgotten, while his party colleagues Alexander Pröll and Johanna Mikl-Leitner criticized the equation of Israel and Russia as anti-Semitic. Mikl-Leitner clearly found that there would be no ESC in Lower Austria without Israel.

public protests

The atmosphere in Basel was described as relatively relaxed during the ESC 2024, despite the protests. During the opening parade, in which around 100,000 spectators took part, numerous Palestinian flags were swiveled and tags were held up that accused the competition of complicity in genocide. The Israeli artist Yuval Raphael received boos, but no serious incidents were reported. EBU has reacted to political tensions and introduced a code of conduct that prohibits political statements during the competition to keep art in the foreground.

Overall, the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 faces the challenge of combining musical performances and social responsibility. EBU sees itself as an association of public service broadcasters and emphasizes that its work should not be influenced by the governments of the member states to create a universal platform for music.