Switzerland wins politically charged 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
MALMO, Sweden – Switzerland was crowned winner of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday morning, with singer Nemo becoming the first nonbinary person to win the world’s biggest music contest.
“Thank you so much and I hope this contest can live up to its promise and stand up for dignity and peace,” said Nemo after receiving the glass microphone trophy.
Dressed in a peach and orange tulle jacket, Nemo performed an athletic balancing act with “The Code,” which has already racked up more than 7.5 million listens on Spotify. Pulling off some seemingly physics-defying choreography on a rotating disc, the 24-year-old raced through three minutes of rap, drum and bass, and opera.
“Somewhere between the zeros and ones, that’s where I found my kingdom come,” Nemo sang, recalling the journey of coming to terms with their nonbinary identity.
This year’s contest, with 25 finalists, didn’t fail to deliver on the show’s trademark outlandish performances, with flamboyant costumes and pyrotechnics galore. But weeks of controversy over Israel’s participation left organizers struggling to keep a hand on the politics surrounding the contest. Some critics deemed Israel’s participation inappropriate as it wages a punishing war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s entrant, Eden Golan, faced loud boos throughout her performance of “Hurricane” in Saturday’s final and finished in fifth position overall. For the second year in a row, Israel won the “Rest of the World” vote, which carries the weight of one country.
Originally titled “October Rain,” the song was almost disqualified after Eurovision organizers said it violated the ban on politicized lyrics, with references to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Israel joined Eurovision in 1973.
The Israeli delegation changed the title and some of the lyrics to compete.
Outside the arena Saturday night, fans showed up decked out in sequins and draped in European flags, as Europop classics pumped out from the venue’s speakers. They remained in good spirits but said the mood was different compared with previous years.
“It used to be a party, but everyone’s tense,” said Hans Ettema, 63, a longtime Eurovision fan who traveled from the Netherlands with his husband.
Inger Molver, 42, said security concerns kept her from buying tickets for the grand finale this year.
“I wish that (organizers) had either not allowed Israel to participate or that Israel had bowed out politely,” she said.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered shortly before the show, shouting, “Shame on you!” at people heading into the venue, as a police helicopter and drone circled overhead. Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reported that climate activist Greta Thunberg was among the protesters who were detained.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas-led militants staged a brutal attack on Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 others. Since then, nearly 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“It’s inappropriate for organizers to give Israel this propaganda platform,” said Ireland fan Rory Flynn, 27, who was at a pro-Palestinian protest Saturday.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, struggled to keep political tensions out of the contest, with emotions between singers noticeably high during news conferences.
Earlier in the week, Irish entrant Bambie Thug was forced to remove makeup that included the words “cease-fire” and “freedom for Palestine” written in Ogham, a medieval Irish alphabet, ahead of the semifinal.
Speaking to media wearing a kaffiyeh, the singer said they cried after Israel qualified for the final.
“It is a complete overshadow of everything, goes against everything that Eurovision is meant to be,” they said. “It’s a big, big community together and their contestant was never allowed to even meet us.” Golan and the rest of the Israeli delegation were escorted by security throughout the contest.
Adding another layer of drama to the Saturday broadcast, Eurovision organizers disqualified the Netherlands’ entrant, Joost Klein, from competing in the grand final. The 11th-hour decision followed a day of confusion after he was barred from performing in two dress rehearsals.
In a statement Saturday, the EBU said Swedish police were investigating Klein after “a complaint was made by a female member of the production crew” after his performance in Thursday night’s semifinal.
His catchy “Europapa” – an unconventional love letter to Europe – was expected to make Klein one of the favorites to lift the Eurovision trophy Saturday night.
Klein’s exit from the show was followed by an afternoon of more upheaval after two former contestants from Norway and Finland, who were set to announce the points from their respective countries, pulled out at short notice.
Norway’s Alessandra Mele cited Israel’s participation, while Finland’s Käärijä said “it doesn’t feel right” to announce the points.
French entrant Slimane also made an impromptu statement during the final dress rehearsal performance. “When I was a child, I dreamed about music, I dreamed about this dream to be a singer, to sing for peace,” he told the audience.
At Saturday night’s final, Portuguese entrant iolanda appeared onstage with nails painted with the pattern of a kaffiyeh during her performance of “Grito.”
“Peace will prevail,” she shouted at the end of the song.
This year’s contest coincided with the 50th anniversary of the year when Sweden’s biggest musical export, Abba, won Eurovision. Despite hopes of a surprise appearance, the foursome only appeared on video in virtual form as “ABBA-tars” from the Abba Voyage concerts.
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