Opinion: Eurovision is political this year. As it is every year.
Israel's Netta Barzilai celebrates after winning the Eurovision contest in Lisbon last year. By Dean Vuletic May 13 at 11:48 AM Dean Vuletic is a historian of contemporary Europe at the University of Vienna and the author of the book “Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest.”
Eurovision’s very premise is a nod to political relations. In the early years of the contest, its organizer — the European Broadcasting Union , the association for national public service broadcasting organizations from Europe and the Mediterranean region — debated whether the names of national broadcasting organizations or states should appear on the scoreboard. It decided that national identifications were more succinct and recognizable.
Over the past few months, celebrities have signed open letters in support of and against the competition being held in Israel. Icelandic entry Hatari, a"techno BDSM" and punk rock band, has even been openly critical of the Israeli government. And just ahead of the beginning of Eurovision rehearsals in Tel Aviv, Israeli forces and militants in Gaza traded fire along the border, leaving several injured and killed. The threat of further attacks hangs over the event.
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