Image: VEGAR GROETT (SCANPIX NORWAY)
The newspaper “Aftonbladet” published an open letter on Monday signed by musicians Robyn, Fever Ray and the indie folk duo First Aid Kit, among others.
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The artists from the host country of this year’s ESC criticized the EBU’s decision to allow Israel to take part in the competition – despite its “brutal warfare in Gaza”, as the open letter said. The organizers of the ESC had previously resisted calls for Israel to be excluded, citing the non-political nature of the music event.
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The Swedish artists are now accusing the EBU of double standards. They pointed out in the letter that after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, no Russian musicians were allowed to take part in the ESC and that in 2021 Belarus was denied participation due to press freedom violations. Voices had also previously been raised in other countries to exclude Israel from this year’s ESC. The country has been particularly criticized for civilian casualties in Gaza.
The 68th ESC is taking place in Sweden this year after singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool with the song “Tattoo” for the Scandinavian country. At the beginning of December, the EBU published a list of 37 participating broadcasters – including the local ORF and KAN from Israel.
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I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
