Published on •Updated
Vienna is hosting its 70th anniversary, but the “United by Music” motto is under its heaviest strain yet. Let’s look what’s behind the glitter.
With only 35 participating countries, the lowest level since 2003, the competition is struggling to survive the grit of real-world geopolitics.
Europe is witnessing its largest boycott ever, with five nations, so Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, pulling out over Israel’s inclusion.
And in a move of direct protest, Slovenia has replaced the live broadcast with a documentary series titled “Voices of Palestine.”
Even inside the arena, Israel’s Noam Bettan qualified amidst a wall of both cheers and protests. It seems like this edition has become a high-stakes revenue gamble for an event that organisers claim was watched by over 160 million people around the world last year.
Following the vote last December to confirm Israel’s place in the contest, President Isaac Herzog argued that the country “deserves to be represented on every stage.” He described the move as a vital demonstration of “solidarity, fellowship, and cooperation.”
And Israeli officials have accused their critics of wide-ranging campaign against Israel’s participation in Eurovision with the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs saying it had identified a sharp rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel tones surrounding the contest.
One thing is certain – whether through boycotts or ballads, Eurovision remains the only stage where continent’s tensions are performed in three minutes of pyrotechnics, strobe lights and perhaps even some music in the background too.
Watch the Euronews video in the player above for the full story.