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a lesson learned at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Posted on by angelo
a lesson learned at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

“I love you all,” exclaimed Dutchman Joost Klein, wearing a fake smile at the start of Europa, his country’s entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, considered one of the standouts of this year’s contest and a likely contender for the top prize. But his behavior towards the Israeli delegation was like his smile, false and disingenuous.

He was eventually evicted before the finale in an incident involving what was described as inappropriate behavior after a member of the production team filed a complaint with local police, alleging that he had threatened. But on stage, he was full of smiles.

At a press conference after semi finals, Klein covered his face when Israel’s Eden Golan answered a reporter’s question. The Greek representative pretended to be asleep at the time.

A Polish journalist then asked Golan if she was not afraid that her presence at the competition would put everyone in danger. When the EBU representative, moderating the event, told Golan that she did not have to answer this provocative question, Klein fired up, asking “why not?” »

There is a common thread that runs from the Polish journalist’s question to Klein’s attitude towards the Golan. In his song, he remembers his father telling him that there are no borders in the world. He sang of the ease and freedom of traveling throughout the European Union and visiting its member states.

Israel’s reality does not correspond to this worldview, because it is surrounded by enemies who have never accepted its existence and are waiting for the opportunity to destroy it. When Israel’s borders were destroyed on October 7, the result was a barbaric mass slaughter, which, in a symbolic twist, also focused on a music festival where young people gathered to celebrate love and youth.

Who wouldn’t want a world without war? But Klein, the Polish journalist and some of the candidates all saw Israel as the only threat to world peace. They asked why Israel insisted on showing up while others wondered why Jews insisted on living in a Muslim-majority Middle East. But beyond their ignorance of Jewish history, they would do well to refresh their memories of events in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Perhaps a visit to the Auschwitz extermination camp would be beneficial.

The toxic and childish behavior towards Golan earned no respect from the competition and, in hindsight, may have benefited Golan and the Israeli delegation. Song director Yoav Tzafir said the behavior of some contestants and audience members resulted in Golan being seen as a victim of abuse by the average viewer.

While the pro-Palestinian protesters After introducing politics and bullying into the music event, Golan conducted herself impeccably with endless poise and was therefore much easier to relate to. President Isaac Herzog was right insist on Israel’s participation.

What about the Irish representative, Bambie Thug? A self-proclaimed homosexual, who uses the non-binary personal pronouns “they” and “them”. They probably would have been thrown off a roof in Gaza, but that didn’t stop them from siding with Hamas and proclaiming that Israel’s qualification for the final made them cry. Perhaps those tears were appropriate when the Golan scored more points than Ireland in the final.

Switzerland’s Nemo, also self-described as a non-binary artist, boycotted the parade of flags rehearsal before the finale in protest against Israel. They too had probably not heard of Hamas’s opinion on men in skirts. Siding with the underdog has never been more ridiculous.

The Spanish journalist, who shouted “Free Palestine” at the Golan during rehearsals, should be reminded that fundamentalist Islam seeks a caliphate that would reconquer some of the countries that were under Muslim rule in their distant past, including Spain .

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Eden Golan during the final performance at the Eurovision Song Contest

(Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

The Eurovision Song Contest was a rare opportunity for Europe’s silent majority to express its voice in the face of radical Islam and the anti-Semitic radical left that had gone too far. While contestants avoided taking their photo with Golan, fearing they would be bullied online if they appeared, the audience at home told the young Israeli singer she was not alone.

Her pain was evident in her voice as she performed and was recognized as the pain of an entire nation who did not choose this war but was dragged into it. Viewers from 14 countries awarded Golan all 12 points for his performance in the final, more than any other country.

שמואל מוניץShmuel MunitzPhoto: Uri Bareket

Not everyone hates Israel. Not everyone is fooled by anti-Israeli propaganda. Some see the calls for an intifada in Malmö and are shaken. Some Eurovision fans remember how well received they were in Tel Aviv and how much it resembled their Western liberal values. Some may have voted for Israel in order to make the point, and others may have been able to put politics aside and reward the Golan’s stellar performance.

Perhaps this expression of a silent majority would bring hope to Israel.