After Loreen won last year, the Eurovision Song Contest is being organized in Malmö, Sweden. — © Reuters
Eurovision songfestival
Four hundred names from the entertainment industry – including actresses Helen Mirren and Selma Blair and musician Gene Simmons – plead in an open letter for Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Many of the signatories have a link with Israel or a Jewish background.
Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 8:06 PM
Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has been under discussion for some time due to the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Petitions to ban Israel emerged in Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Now there is a dissenting voice, signed by more than four hundred names from the entertainment industry. Many have a Jewish background or a link to Israel.
“We are shocked and disappointed to see how some in the entertainment industry have called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest for responding to one of the largest massacres of Jews since the Holocaust,” said the open letter from the Creative Community For Peace .
“We believe that unifying events such as song competitions are crucial to bridging our cultural differences and uniting people from all backgrounds through their shared love of music,” it continues. “Those who call for the exclusion of Israel undermine the spirit of the contest and turn it into a political tool.”
British actress Helen Mirren and American actress Selma Blair, British singer Boy George, Israeli-American Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, American The Big Bang Theory actress Mayem Bailik and American Sharon Osbourne, among others, support that message. . The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, has no plans yet to ban Israel.