What do we want? A cheesy Eurovision Song Contest without the messy politics, please…
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Greta Thunberg – whose opera-singing mother represented Sweden at the 2009 competition – joined the fray, saying: “It’s outrageous and inexcusable for Eurovision to let the Israelis take part while committing a genocide.” Okay… except where were the protests against Russia competing in 2014, after its annexation of Crimea? Originally titled “October Rain”, which was widely interpreted as a reference to the Hamas attacks of October 7th, it was hastily rewritten so as not to breach Eurovision’s strict no-politics rule. The ballad – whose refrain is “I’m still broken from this hurricane” – was loudly booed by the arena crowd during Thursday’s semi-final. Russian officials argued that “1944” – Ukraine’s winning entry in 2016 – should have been disqualified under rules forbidding political content.
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