[ad_1]
Switzerland won the 68th Eurovision song contest, ending a tense and at times stormy competition overshadowed by the controversy over Israel’s inclusion and the disqualification of the Dutch contestant just hours before the grand final began.
Swiss singer Nemo, who identifies as non-binary, went into the night as the bookies’ third favourites, but saw off frontrunners Croatia and Israel with a rousing rendition of their song The Code.
The drum’n’bass-driven operatic offering was the undisputed winner of the jury’s vote, accounting for half of the total score.
Musical acts risked becoming a footnote at the world’s biggest live music event after Dutch contestant Joost Klein was disqualified from the grand final over what organizers described as an “incident” involving a female member of the production team.
The Dutch broadcaster who sent Klein to the competition said it was “shocked” by the “disproportionate” decisionand refused to hand out his jury scores at the end of the show.
The suspension has now been strengthened politically charged atmosphereas Klein appeared to voice her disapproval of Israel’s presence at a press conference on Thursday, vocally supporting a journalist who asked Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, if she thought her presence might endanger the other acts and the fans in attendance.
Israel was granted permission to compete by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in March, after changing some of the lyrics to Golan Hurricane’s power ballada song about the traumatic experience of the October 7th Hamas massacre, originally titled October Rain.
But the question of whether or not Israel should be allowed to compete while engaged in a military conflict in Gaza continued to dominate the run-up to the five-day kitsch extravaganza in the Swedish city of Malmö, with pro-Palestinian activists unsuccessfully pushing for performing artists to join their boycott.
In a large demonstration in the city center of Malmö on Saturday, several thousand protesters with Palestinian flags announced their view that Israel should not have been allowed to compete in the first place, citing Russia’s exclusion from 2022 as a precedent.
Some protesters later moved to the concert venue south of downtown, shouting “Shame on you” at fans entering the arena. About 30 people were detained by the police.
Inside the arena, the boos were mostly drowned out by cheers when Golan took the stage.
Eurovision organizers dismissed rumors that the incident involving Klein’s suspension involved other performers or members of the delegation, or even a row with the Israeli delegation.
“Swedish police are investigating a complaint filed by a female member of the production team following an incident following his [Klein’s] performance in the semi-final on Thursday night,” they said, reiterating a “zero tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior at our event.”
In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said it was “shocked” by the “disproportionate” decision, saying the singer and rapper had merely made a “threatening gesture” at a camerawoman but had not touched her.
“Contrary to the agreement that was clearly made, Joost was filmed when he had just come off the stage and had to rush to the green room. At this point, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be photographed. This was not respected.”
According to the broadcaster, he offered “several solutions” to the EBU, which decided to disqualify Klein anyway. Martin Josterdahl, the executive director of Eurovision, drew loud boos from the audience when he appeared on screen during the show.
As rumors about the reasons for Clyne’s suspension ricocheted around the changing rooms at Malmö Arena, the mood turned feverish. Ireland’s entry, a non-binary singer called Bambie Thug, failed to show up for the final dress rehearsal, fueling rumors of their withdrawal from the event.
In a statement, they later said their absence was due to a separate disagreement with the EBU related to the conduct of Israeli public broadcaster Kan during the first semi-final.
French singer Slimane interrupted the a cappella part of his song Mon Amour during the dress rehearsal to give a speech about “love and peace”.
In Norway, the country’s former competitor Alessandra Mele stepped down from her role as spokesperson to deliver the jury’s verdict on what she called “genocide” in the Middle East.
At an event marred by political divisions, Switzerland’s entry offered a comforting rallying point. Singer Nemo Mettler follows in the footsteps of previous queer, transgender or drag contestants who have been launched into the Eurovision world, from Israel’s Dana International in 1998 to Austria’s Conchita Wurst in 2014.
Their song The Code was highly dramatic, but the stage show was spectacular for its simplicity, with the artist balancing acrobatically on a rotating platform.
It was one of several entries that defied Eurovision’s reputation as a showcase for the blandest of Eurodance messes.
Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, was not only a darling of the accountants but also a fan favorite with Rim Tim Tagi Dim, a song that sounded like Jon Bon Jovi had secured Rammstein as the opening act; Italy’s Angelina Mango reminded the continent of her country’s proud song tradition with a powerful stilpane rendition of the unlikely theme of boredom.
Britain’s Olly Alexander took 18th place with his song Dizzy after receiving zero points from the public vote.
Klein, a 26-year-old former YouTuber from Friesland, had long been tipped to make an impression on the song contest — just not in this way. With lyrics in Dutch, German, Italian and English and a video that ends with an image of a “European house” on fire, his song Europapa would also be the first Eurovision song for the European Union since Toto Cotugno’s Insieme 92, which refers to the Maastricht Treaty, signed the same year.
At the pro-Palestinian rally in the city center on Saturday afternoon, one participant waved a placard reading “Twelve points go to Yost Klein.” Politics and pop had become intertwined in ways that were difficult to disentangle.
[ad_2]
