Displaying items by tag: Eurovision

Hungary has pulled out of the Eurovision song contest, amid speculation it is ‘too gay’. A source inside Hungary’s public broadcaster, MTVA, said they assumed hostility to the contest’s LGBT+ links were behind the decision. One pro-government commentator described Eurovision as a ‘homosexual flotilla’ and said the country’s mental health would be better if it did not join the competition. MTVA, which discourages positive coverage of LGBT+, usually hosts the song contest whose winner goes on to represent the country at Eurovision. It said, ‘Instead of taking part in Eurovision, we will support the valuable productions created by the talents of Hungarian pop music directly.’ The winner will instead be given the chance to appear on domestic media shows and at festivals. Associates of prime minister Viktor Orban have control of much of the country’s media including state media.

Many participating groups in 2019’s Eurovision Song Contest are already in Tel Aviv, with more arriving daily. The finale will be on 18 May, in the same week as Palestinians commemorate Nakba. This was 71 years ago, when 700,000 people left their homes at the time when Israel was born. Activists say the venue for the competition was built on land of a former Arab village which emptied in 1948. As anxiety mounts, the foreign ministry spokesman, Emmanuel Nahshon, said, ‘This is going to be a huge party with thousands of people participating, but we will remain extremely vigilant in order to make sure that no-one comes here to disturb and destroy,’ The event, watched by a global TV audience, will also become a focus for protests against the country’s treatment of Palestinians. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to hold Eurovision in Jerusalem, to add weight to Israel’s campaign for global recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital.