A wild choreography, a pop sound and divisive lyrics: “Tonight, remember that it is us who suffered a genocide, so show us that this time you are on our side… And give us your 12 points”. Dark humor or bad taste? This sketch broadcast on Tuesday February 6 in the Israeli comedy show “Eretz Nehederet” did not fail to cause an outcry and increase pro and anti positions. Israeli participation in Eurovision 2024 which takes place from this Tuesday, May 7 and until Saturday.
In this parody song, actress Shani Cohen decided to make fun of opponents of the Israeli presence. “If that’s too political, let’s go for it with this song,” says the caption. Between text which states that Israel “restricts harm caused to the civilian population” and an animated Adolf Hitler who shouts “Israel, zero points”, the joke does not go down with some people. One more episode in a shaken 2024 participation.
The Russian precedent set as a model by opponents
Since October 7 and Hamas terrorist attacks on the south of Israel, which caused the death of more than 1,000 people, the Hebrew State launched a vast military response, the proportionality of which is regularly the target of criticism from defenders of the Palestinian cause, but also increasingly from the international community.
In response, calls for the exclusion of Israel from the 2024 Eurovision contest flourished on social networks, comparing the situation with that of Russia in 2022. After the invasion of Ukrainethe European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was quick to to exclude Russian public channels, which de facto prevented the country from participating in the competition. “But the big difference between these two cases is that there were no sanctions of the international community against Israel. However, the EBU is not an authority with political power, it is only an association of public broadcasters,” explained from February to the Parisian Dean Vuletic, historian graduated from Columbia and specialist in Eurovision.
“October Rain” rejected twice
Petitions and demonstrations have notably emerged in Northern Europein countries “which recognize the existence of a Palestinian state”, such as Sweden or Iceland, underlines Dean Vuletic. But for the EBU, no debate, this competition will be with Israel. On February 6, the country chose Eden Golan to represent it.
All that remained was to find for the 20-year-old young woman, born in Moscow (Russia), a title to wear the colors of the Hebrew State. The Israeli delegation set the tone, saying that the song should “reflect the current situation in the country”. Thus was born “October Rain” (October rain), in which the singer says she is “still soaked by this October rain”, an explicit reference to the attacks of October 7. The rest of the text is peppered with terms that recall the event.
Submitted to the EBU, the words are edited for their “too political” content twice, before an agreement was reached with a rewrite under the name “Hurricane” (Hurricane). In Malmö, the Israeli delegation is discreet. “She doesn’t no appearance outside of the competition, they are hosted in an undisclosed location, probably outside Malmö,” emphasizes Dean Vuletic. The head of the Shin Bet, Israeli internal intelligence, also went there this week to validate the security plan around the singer.
The Palestinian cause is implicit
Amid the glitter, the EBU wants to avoid the subject at all costs. One key word: the competition must not be “political”. “But what makes Eurovision interesting is precisely that it is based on politics,” laughs Dean Vuletic. Meanwhile, support for the Palestinian cause has grown. Around ten candidates signed a statement at the end of March in which they were alarmed by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire, as well as the release of “all the hostages” detained since October 7.
Among them, Bambie Thug representing Ireland. The non-binary artist sang in the semi-final on Tuesday evening with inscriptions in Ogham, an alphabet used to write Old Irish. Originally, these messages meant “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine”, but the interpreter had to “change these terms on orders from the EBU”, she confided at a conference of press. “This contravened the rules of the competition intended to protect the apolitical nature of the event,” reacted the EBU to Irish television RTÉ.
Earlier in the evening, the Swede Éric Saade had already embarrassed the organization when he performed at the opening of the evening, wearing a keffiyeh on his wrist. This son of a Palestinian refugee had warned that he wanted to raise awareness of the Palestinian cause during his performance. A “regrettable” choice for the competition producer, Ebba Adielsson. Eurovision did not broadcast its performance on its social networks.
In Malmö, the demonstration against Israel brings together 5,000 people
And the slogan “Free Free Palestine!” Free Free Palestine! » did not fail to be chanted in the streets of Malmö. About sixty organizations marched in a “Stoppa Israel” march this Thursday afternoon. If the organization aims to be pacifist, certain voices have been raised to criticize the links that certain local movements maintain with Hamas. A rally in support of Eden Golan is also planned for the early evening a few hundred meters away.
But on this afternoon, along Malmö City Hall, usually so peaceful, families dressed in keffiyehs mixed with the residents who came to support them. Drums beat the rhythm and hundreds of flags, green, black, white and red, waved. A thousand demonstrators met there to make their voices heard a few hours before Israel’s official entry.
“We find it absurd that Israel can stay in Eurovision while they are committing atrocious crimes in Gaza. The organizers argue that they are not involved in politics, but in 2022 they immediately excluded Russia. So they play politics when it suits them. It is not fair. Especially since Israel also uses the competition to improve its image,” explains Christopher, a Swedish-Lebanese student, in French. Behind the young man, we recognized the activist Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunbergwho refused to answer our questions.
Taking advantage of the media coverage of the event to put the fate of the inhabitants of Gaza and Rafah in the spotlight is the intention of the organizers of the demonstration. According to Swedish police, around 5,000 people were present. “There are demonstrations in support of Palestine every weekend, but I have never seen as many people as today. I met some Swedes, but also a lot of Danes, Irish, etc. I saw a sign Eurovision fans are against genocide », Says Assarsson, who is meeting for a new gathering this Saturday, just before the final, whether Israel is qualified or not.
