The Eurovision of chaos: Netherlands disqualified, the Palestinian (and European) flag banned and Israel among the many favorites | Television | EUROtoday

The 2024 version has turn into the Eurovision of chaos, a number of hours earlier than the ultimate of the competition is held in Malmö. The Dutch consultant Joost Klein has been disqualified from the competitors, being one of many favorites for the bookmakers. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) defined this Saturday morning in a press release that “the Swedish police are investigating a complaint from a member of the final's production team, which occurred after the singer's performance in Thursday's semifinal.” .

The group of the competition has not but determined (on Friday night time) whether or not to disqualify the performer of the track European Pope, till now positioned as one of many favorites for the ultimate victory, in accordance with the betting homes. Discussions proceed between the group and Dutch tv AVROTROS. Meanwhile, in Friday night time's rehearsal it was determined to make use of Klein's efficiency in the day gone by's semifinal, broadcast in Spain on TVE's La 1.

Until that second, the primary focus of consideration was on Israel's controversial participation. A couple of minutes earlier than the second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 started, on Thursday night time, flags of various colours and sizes piled up within the palms of the workers of the extremely bolstered safety on the Malmö Arena. The European Song Festival prohibits entry to the Swedish venue with banners that aren’t solely these of the 37 international locations which have participated on this version. And it’ll achieve this in its rarefied finale this Saturday. As an exception, it has added two different badges that signify the LGTBI+ group.

“We also take away those of the European Union,” one of many guards advised a spectator who had not requested for explanations, simply earlier than getting into that second semi-final. At that second, he was taking from her palms a printed sheet with the Palestinian flag, which introduced via a hyperlink the demonstrations scheduled throughout as of late within the metropolis middle to protest Israel's participation within the contest for its function. within the Gaza conflict. Since October, its occupation troops have killed greater than 34,943 Palestinians, in comparison with practically 1,400 Israelis killed in the course of the battle and the October assault.

At virtually all entrances to the inside of the stadium, staff have, as a cheat sheet, a laminated sheet that compiles the permitted flags, together with that of Israel. And, certainly, within the confiscated nook there are large blue materials with 12 yellow stars. Although the measure will not be new, the particular consideration that the group is paying this yr to making sure compliance with the rule doesn’t escape any Eurofan. Without going any additional, the icon of the European Union was not banned in Liverpool final yr.

Eurovision has at all times maintained a coverage of symbols that, because it has been saying for years, doesn’t deal with vetoing territories, however on avoiding their political use. In 2016, the competition needed to apologize for having included ikurriña on its blacklist simply earlier than the version held exactly in Sweden. The protests of the Spanish and Basque governments made him rectify and cease mentioning it amongst his choice of prohibited symbols. But the competition took the chance to keep in mind that, in the identical means, entry to the inside of the Stockholm venue was not permitted, nor have been the remainder of the “local, regional or provincial” flags, defined these accountable at the moment.

More rigidity within the stadium than within the streets

Although the ambiance on the streets of Malmö in latest days will not be as festive because it was in different latest Eurovision venues, it’s not excessively tense both. The venue that hosts the 68th version of the competition throughout these first days of May is positioned three kilometers away from the historic Stortorget sq. and the town's Town Hall. It is there the place many of the rallies in favor of the Palestinian individuals have taken place.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was amongst these attending the Thursday afternoon demonstration, which was attended by, in accordance with official estimates by the nation's police, greater than 12,000 contributors. That determine is strictly the capability of the Malmö Arena, which the Protestants barely strategy. “We want to respect the area [de la audiencia eurovisiva] and, moreover, Stortorget is the place we now have been concentrated for the final seven months, not solely throughout as of late,” a Swedish citizen of Palestinian descent who was returning from that demonstration recalled to this newspaper on Thursday afternoon, just before getting on the train that was taking him back to his house, on the outskirts of the city.

“If Israel reaches the final, we will return this Saturday at the same time, three in the afternoon,” he announced shortly before the country's representative, twenty-something Eden Golan, qualified on Thursday thanks to televoting with the topic Hurricane. In fact, after her performance, the young woman rose to second place in the official bets that order the favorites to win. A few hours before the final, Hurricane It is only behind Dim Tag Team Rim, the Croatian song Baby Lasagna. Both candidates are much more prominent than other countries at the top of the list, such as Switzerland, France, Ukraine, Ireland and Italy. [A medida que pasan los días, España aumenta sus opciones de quedar en mejor puesto que su antecesora Blanca Paloma, que quedó en el 17].

The Jewish State issued an order earlier this week warning its citizens of the moderate threat level of possible attacks. He also advised against traveling to Malmö, considering it “a focus of anti-Israel protests.” Days before, a delegation led by Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service, had traveled to the Swedish city to monitor the situation in the face of possible threats, according to several Israeli media reports at the time.

Where there is real tension inside the stadium that hosts the festival and in the adjacent buildings. Eurofans critical of the decision not to veto Israel's participation, as was done with Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine, booed this Thursday from the stands when the presenters of the Swedish event, comedian Petra Mede and actress Malin Ackerman , announced Golan's pass to the final gala. His disapproval did not erase the applause of a large part of the audience. Both reactions coexisted, reflecting the somewhat vitiated atmosphere of this edition.

The festival, which counts among its main sponsors a company whose parent company is located in Israel, the cosmetics brand Moroccanoil, staged a tug-of-war with Israel by rejecting two of the country's proposals to participate in Eurovision 2024 in recent months. The first of them, October Rain, for alluding in his lyrics to soldiers and the Hamas attack on October 7. And the second, Dance Forever, considering that there was also political content in it. The truth is Hurricane reaches Saturday's final with popular international support: televoting is the only one possible in the semifinals.

The press conference after the second qualifying round, held early on Friday, was clearly tense. The Israeli representative had to answer a question from a journalist who questioned whether her presence put other participants and the public at “risk and danger.” Faced with this question, the moderator of the meeting pointed out to Golan that, if he did not want to, he did not have to answer it. “Why not?” Joost Klein then intervened out loud, an episode that quickly went viral on the networks. Golan simply responded that the festival “is safe for everyone. If not, we would not be here,” in response to the gestures of discomfort, and even disapproval, of some of his stage colleagues. “All countries in the world deserve to be free,” said the Latvian singer Dons in that same forum, to the applause of the journalists present. Even in the press room, awkward moments have occurred between some of the Israeli accredited officials and several members of the international delegations and press.

In the previous weeks, 10 of the 37 participating artists published a joint statement in which they called for an “immediate ceasefire in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza,” as they “did not feel comfortable” remaining silent. “It is important for us to show solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt desire for peace and an immediate ceasefire and the safe return of the hostages,” noted the participants from the United Kingdom, San Marino (the Spanish Megara), Switzerland and Lithuania, among others.

The Protestants who gather peacefully in Malmö do so even using irony. They are organizing Falastinvision, an alternative festival “free of genocide,” for this Saturday. Its intention is to question before the European song contest and international public opinion whether being apolitical is synonymous with being amoral.

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