In case you missed it, Israel won big at Eurovision last night.
No, we did not actually win the competition. But the results were nevertheless telling.
Israel’s Eden Golan performed Hurricane, a song which – although ambiguous – represents how Israel feels following October 7 (the original version, which had to be rewritten, was more explicit about this). And as you can see, Eden nailed it.
So good was Eden’s performance that she ended up in 5th place out of 25, and was second in the public vote, which represents the views of the public rather than some judges who likely allowed their political biases to take hold.
In other words, despite the efforts of many to politicize the contest and, in fact, ostracize Israel in the world, the public have spoken.
And believe me, there were a lot of efforts to politicize it.
While the live broadcast, seen annually by more than 150 million people around the world, went off smoothly, there were large protests against Israel outside the arena in Malmo, and small mostly under-the-radar protests inside the stadium.
Portugal’s Iolanda wore a dress in the opening “flag parade” designed by a Palestinian designer, and her nails were decorated with green, red, white and black colors, as well as a keffiyeh pattern — something she didn’t sport during the semifinal.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug — who was ordered by the EBU to remove pro-Palestinian messaging written on their face in an ancient Irish language — was seen in the green room while awaiting the results with a stuffed watermelon, which has become a prominent pro-Palestinian symbol.
Videos posted on social media from inside the stadium showed that boos could be heard when Golan appeared on stage in both the opening flag march and during her performance of “Hurricane,” although they were not heard in the live broadcast. Many Israeli flags could be seen waving in the audience throughout the close to four-hour live show.
Sweden’s winner last year, Loreen, reportedly said before the competition that she would refuse to hand the trophy to Golan if Israel won.
While this year’s Eurovision has been wrapped in controversy for months, the 24 hours preceding the grand final were particularly intense, with a number of incidents surrounding Israel’s participation. The representatives from both Finland and Norway who were supposed to be announcing their country’s jury votes backed out ahead of the show, saying they did not want to take part, and were replaced by other representatives.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug, who has been vocally pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, complained to the EBU about supposed insults from the Kan commentators during their semifinal performance this week. And French contestant Slimane paused his dress rehearsal performance mid-song to call for peace: “We must be united by music, yes,” he said, a reference to the official Eurovision slogan, “but with love and peace. Everyone wants to sing their song but they want to be united by love and peace.”
In the most dramatic turn of events, the Netherlands’ contestant, Joost Klein, became the first competitor in history to be disqualified by the EBU after he was involved in a threatening incident with a Eurovision camerawoman on Friday. Though the EBU confirmed that the incident had nothing to do with Israel, many online commentators nevertheless blamed Israel for his disqualification, and railed against the EBU for allowing Israel to take part while barring the Netherlands, whose song had been a fan favorite.
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Golan was largely confined to her hotel room for the weeks leading up to the show, skipping virtually all events surrounding the contest except for the live shows and dress rehearsals, due to a high threat level against her and the delegation.
I suspect the antisemitic Irish contestant represents how the Israel-haters are feeling after the results.
“I cried with my team.” Ireland 🇮🇪 Eurovision finalist Bambie Thug is asked how they felt when Israel qualified for the #EUROVISION final. pic.twitter.com/wE1F8xeU7E
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) May 10, 2024
And for the record, this satanic freak finished in sixth place, behind Eden.
Update: I couldn’t resist.
With the detestable antisemite @Bambiethug crying over Eden Golan's success at #Eurovision, it is time to update my crying POS meme pic.twitter.com/NObRkgfnIh
— 🎗️ David Lange (@Israellycool) May 12, 2024
