MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Dutch contestants eurovision song contest He was dramatically kicked out of the competition hours before Saturday’s final. pancontinental pop contestis in turmoil due to protests. Israeli participation.
The competition organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, announced that Swedish police were investigating “complaints from a female member of the production staff.” Dutch performer Joost Klein. Organizers said it was not appropriate for Klein to attend the event in Malmö, where legal proceedings are ongoing.
Eurovision’s motto is “united through music”, but this year’s event has proved to be exceptionally divisive.Israel’s participation is attracting attention Large-scale pro-Palestinian demonstrationprotesters said the country should be removed for its actions. war in gaza strip.
Klein, a 26-year-old Dutch singer and rapper, was popular with both bookmakers and fans for his song “Europapa”.
He failed to perform during two rehearsals on Friday, and the EBU announced that it was being investigated as an “incident.” There were rumors that the Israeli delegation was involved in the incident, but organizers said “no other performers or delegation members were involved.”
Dutch broadcaster AVROTOS, one of dozens of public broadcasters jointly funding and broadcasting the competition, said it was “shocked by the decision and considers the disqualification to be disproportionate”. “
AVROTOS said in a statement: “We deeply regret this incident and will address the matter later.”
It all builds to a troubling climax to an event that draws both admiration and derision for its eerie kitschy spirit and pop passion.
Thousands of people gathered in central Malmo on Saturday to march through Sweden’s third-largest city with a large Muslim population for the second time this week, demanding a boycott of Israel and a ceasefire in the seven-month war.
In Finland, a group of about 40 protesters stormed the headquarters of public broadcaster YLE on Saturday morning, demanding Israel’s withdrawal from the song contest due to its participation.
At the Malmö Arena, a few kilometers from the city center, 25 teams, narrowed down from 37 contestants to two semi-finals, competed in a three-minute competition in front of a live audience of thousands, estimated at 180 million people. I’m planning to perform a song. audience around the world.
In the hours leading up to the final, the tension and tension was palpable. Several artists were absent from the Olympic-style artist entrance at the start of final rehearsals, but all but Ireland’s Bumbie Thug continued to perform.
The Irish performer issued a statement saying his absence was due to a situation that he “felt required an urgent response from the EBU” and told fans: “I hope to see you on stage later.” .
French singer Slimane cut his song “Mon Amour” short during a dress rehearsal, urging people to “unite, yes, through music, yes, but for love and peace.”
This year’s Eurovision entries range from the emotional to the quirky. It includes his goofy 1990s nostalgia as Finland’s Windows95man, who emerges from a giant egg on stage, barely clothed. Bumby Thug summoned the spirit of a witch on stage and brought a screaming coach to Malmö. spain nebroza A term used as a slur against women in “Zola” is boldly recovered.
Potential winners include Swiss singer Nimo (who would become the first non-binary Eurovision winner if her opera song “The Code” tops the vote) and Croatia’s Baby Lasagna. His song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is an upbeat rock number that tackles the issue of young Croatians leaving the country in search of a better life.
Contest history expert Dean Vretic says that despite the contest’s reputation as disposable bubblegum pop, Eurovision often tackles “political and social issues such as feminism, European integration and gender identity.” He said there was.
“And I think these are very interesting songs to look at, especially since they are ranked the highest by the bookmakers,” he said.
But sometimes the songs violate the contest’s rules, which prohibit overtly “political” statements. Eurovision organizers have instructed Israel to change the song’s original title, “October Rain.” This is an apparent reference to the October 7 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and triggered the Gaza war.
Israeli singer Eden Golan has improved her odds since performing her power ballad (now called “Hurricane”) in Thursday’s semi-final. Golan faced some booing at rehearsals, but viewers around the world voted for her to advance to the finals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the 20-year-old Golan’s performance despite “fighting an ugly wave of anti-Semitism.”
The protesters say Israel should not be allowed to participate in a war that has killed about 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
“I don’t think they should be involved at all because they are committing crimes against humanity,” said local resident Lorenzo Meyer.
At Saturday’s rehearsal, several Palestinian flags were waved in the auditorium, ignoring a ban on flags other than those of competing countries.
The competing musicians are feeling the pressure and are being bombarded with messages and abuse on social media, but the contest’s rules prevent them from speaking out. Italian contestant Angelina Mango entered the Eurovision Media Center on Friday and made her statement by playing John Lennon’s “Imagine” as dozens of journalists gathered around her.
Swedish singer Laureenlast year’s Eurovision champion and one of only two performers to have won the competition twice, appealed to people not to shut down the “community of love” that is Eurovision.
“What’s happening in the world today and in different places is distorting and traumatizing all of us,” she told The Associated Press.
“What heals trauma? Does trauma heal trauma?” Does negativity heal negativity? That won’t work. The only thing that can truly heal trauma is science. ”
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Hilary Fox in Malmö, Jari Tanner in Helsinki, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
