The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Österdahl, says “we will fight back pretty hard” against hate at the contest.
In a wide-ranging interview with Dagens Industri, translated for Eurovoix by Daniel Stridh, Österdahl speaks about several topics that have affected Eurovision preparations this year.
The contest chief has gone into detail about the security situation ahead of the competition next week, the reasons why Israel have been allowed to participate in the contest, and his thoughts on social media hate directed at this year’s artists.
Firstly, Österdahl laments the challenging circumstances in which Eurovision is being held in 2024:
You shouldn’t swear but… we’ve been a little unlucky this year.
With rising tensions around Europe, there have been concerns about whether Eurovision could be targeted by protestors, or even criminals. Österdahl, who has been Executive Supervisor of the contest since 2020, believes that while the contest may be “uncomfortable” this year, their security can handle it:
Regarding the security circumstances, we’ve been at the absolute peak of security for many years, so the audience and crew that work on this for eight-nine weeks can be safe. Will there be demonstrations? Very probable. Will it feel a little uncomfortable and could it get violent? Possible. Will the police be able to handle it? Yes, I think so.
Österdahl also touches on the hate that has been on social media around the contest this year. Many have protested the inclusion of Israel in this year’s contest, with some directing hateful messages at both the contest organisers and the artists themselves. Österdahl feels that he and his team are “past what we can tolerate now”:
There’s a lot of hate in the media and on social media, against the participants and those that work with this. Hate doesn’t belong in the Eurovision Song Contest and we will fight back pretty hard against that. We’re past what we can tolerate now – artists shouldn’t feel afraid of expressing their artform because there’s a conflict somewhere else in the world that they have nothing to do with. It’s absolutely absurd.
When questioned by Dagens Industri about Israel’s involvement, Österdahl reiterated that Eurovision was a contest for broadcasters, not governments. And, when asked why Russia had been banned from the competition in 2022 and not Israel, Österdahl has defended Israel’s broadcaster KAN, describing them as the “direct opposite” to the Israeli state:
The disinformation that was spread about the invasion of Ukraine was what was too much for us in the end. But while the Russian broadcasters are Putin’s and the Kremlin’s extended arm, the Israeli broadcaster KAN is the direct opposite. Netanyahu has been trying to shut it down. And it’s the independent public service broadcasters that we have to support.
Additionally, he has said that another broadcaster, AZTV of Azerbaijan, is one whose independence is more questionable. While AZTV is not Azerbaijan’s Eurovision broadcaster – this is İctimai Television – the Executive Supervisor says they’ve had “reasons to point things out regarding Azerbaijan” more generally:
We’ve had reasons to point things out regarding Azerbaijan. It’s not exactly a democracy and sometimes you can question AZTV’s independence. But they’ve not yet crossed the line like Russia did.
Österdahl’s comments, made just days before the first semi-final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, reflect the tense political backdrop the contest is taking place within. Österdahl admits that he is “frustrated” with the political discussions around Eurovision, saying that the contest is the only thing that they can control:
I spend a lot of time explaining to the delegations that once you step on the stage you have to take that coat off and focus on what brings us together. The only thing we can control are those three minutes on stage, and that’s why I sometimes get frustrated when lots of people want to make politics out of the Eurovision Song Contest.
However, with rising tension around Europe, it may be that it is more difficult for fans and commentators to separate Eurovision from the political landscape in which it takes place.
Image Source: Daniel Stridh | Source: Dagens Industri
We’ve gone past what we can tolerate now. Israel’s participation dangerously trivializes and legitimates its genocidal crimes, while Palestinian voices remain unheard.
The Israeli forces killed over 34.000 civillian people in Gaza. 50% of Gaza’s inhabitants are children. More children have been killed by Israel than all global conflicts annually since 2019.
Israel commited countless human rights violations including destroying critical infrastructure, hospitals, refugee camps, schools, cultural sights, mosques, as well as every single university, while cutting water & medical supplies, electricity & Internet and displacing over a million people in Gaza, while blocking its borders, killing civillians, journalists and UN workers.
Israel is right now facing trial at the International Court of Justice regarding genocide, as enough evidence has been put forward, to deny Israel’s request to drop the case.
Right now Israel’s closing in on Rafah, the last place for Gaza’s Palestinians to go. Because of Israel they have to live under horrific conditions, starving and falling to untreated illness and injuries.
This cannot align with the values of the EBU or the ESC. How can we allow Ignorance and double standards to gain a stage, dividing us all. I join the call for a ban of Israel at the ESC until this stops.