#fuck martin österdahl

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Hey all my beautiful people💚 I'm currently in the middle of packing before moving into my first place of my own, but I'm trying to push in some writing time.

In the mean time, I stumbled across this video, and it got my blood boiling. I already has strong feelings about what happened in ESC this year, but this tipped over, so this is where my rant will start.

As you all me already know, I'm a MASIVE Eurovision fan, and what happened this year simply wasn't acceptable. I knew that there had been some problems out backstage, but I had no idea it was this bad.

One thing is to let Israel take part in Eurovision, but to then ignore every single claim of harassment from the Israeli delegation, not just from the press but from the artists themselves, is more than just outrages, but breaks the exact rules that Joost Klein was desqualifed over.

To learn that parts of the Israeli delegation straight up harassed Joost Klein, Bambie Thug, and several of the other acts, let alone the press, without EBU taking any actions, makes me so angry that I can't even describe it.

I love Joost Klein and the Netherlands. I have a lot of friends there and many good memories from there. So to hear that Joost Klein and the other delegations was harassed and filmed without permission, did not just shock me, but made me feel like someone had hurt some of my friends.

In EBU's strange attempt to keep Israel in the competition, they have not just ignored every single claim of harassment made against the Israeli delegation, but screwed over the other artists, the crowd, the press and the viewers.

The amount of rules the Israeli delegation has broken, without any actions from the EBU is disrespectful, to the point I would call it gross.

[sflow-er]

It's Eurovision week, and for the first time in over twenty years, I won't be watching or engaging.

As you probably know, the global BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement has called for a total Eurovision boycott due to the EBU's refusal to ban Israel.

The ESC has been a beloved part of my spring since I was little, and it's really fucking upsetting not getting to enjoy it this year - but that's just it. I know it won't make any difference whether one person chooses to watch or boycott, and that my watching it wouldn't even be registered as a view if I just watched the TV broadcast instead of the stream, but I can't imagine any set of circumstances in which I would enjoy it.

Back when the contest was held in Tel Aviv, I "bought myself a license to enjoy it" by donating to the UNRWA multiple times what I would've normally spent on voting, but no amount of donations would be enough to do that now. Not when every artist will be styled using the products of an Israeli beauty brand (Moroccanoil, a major ESC sponsor and likely a major player in why the EBU wouldn't even consider a ban), and when Israel itself has made its participation a political statement. The only reason their public broadcaster KAN agreed to change the lyrics of their entry, which originally referenced the Hamas attack and is still was called "October Rain" but has now been renamed "Hurricane", was this:

The president [of Israel] emphasised that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year. (The Guardian, 07 March)

Singer Eden Golan has also said that she believes her "participation is part of a very important mission for the country" and that she expects to begin her compulsory military service soon after the contest:

I still haven't enlisted in the army, and when I return from Eurovision, I'll report for my first call-up. In the first year as a returning resident, they don't call you, but that year passed and I was summoned – and my draft was postponed because of Eurovision. Doing army service is a mission, and I want to take the auditions to the military bands. (Israel Hayom, 22 April)

Yes, really. It's more likely she'll be some kind of PR ambassador for the Israeli army than be sent to Gaza with a gun, but still.

Many people are also upset about Palestinian flags being banned from the arena, and I'm not happy about it either, but I do think it's more or less understandable. The arena is a closed space, and any kind of altercation that might be sparked by those flags would be a big security risk. And at least if we are to believe executive supervisor Martin Österdahl, they haven't actually changed the rules; signs and flags with political messaging were always banned, and in this time, the Palestinian flag does send a powerful political message.

Then there's also the security risk associated with the event itself. Malmö is one of Sweden's most diverse cities, which also has both Jewish and Palestinian communities. According to a survey published on 4 May, 47% of city residents intend to avoid crowds during Eurovision. Mass protests and counter protests are expected. Events such as Quran-burnings by right-wing extremists are still allowed in the name of freedom of expression, even though the terror threat level in Sweden had to be raised to 4 out of the maximum 5 last year/this past winter due to precisely these kinds of provocations, and tensions will be running high. So even if the event itself manages to look as glitzy as always on TV, it will still be shadowed by what might be happening outside. Will there be unrest? Violence? How will the police respond?

There's no enjoyment to be found in any of that, no being "united by music" (the ESC slogan, which is a joke at this point). At least for me.

That being said, I do not judge you if you plan on watching. I understand that it's a huge annual tradition for many of us, and in these times, we need all the joy we can get. I also understand that it can feel like empty virtue signalling to boycott something when millions of others will tune in regardless - although it is good to keep in mind that this isn't some silly boycott started by social media activists on Xitter. It's a serious effort by the BDS movement.

I would challenge you to think about how you engage, though. If possible, watch it on TV instead of on stream, so your view won't be logged. (You could even consider waiting until the show gets posted on Youtube instead of giving views to the official stream, but I get that you probably want to see it live.) Try to abstain from hyping the contest or your fave entries on social media, and also from voting. Consider donating what you can afford to a charity that provides aid to Gaza instead (here's one list I found with a quick search).

And finally, spread awareness of the flip side. Don't be lulled into complacency by the claims of "Eurovision isn't political" when Israel itself has made it very clear it is - and do not make fun of people who want to sit the contest out this year or belittle their efforts.

[visenya-targarye]

I just want to remind everyone it does not end tonight. Israel may have lost tonight but never forget they were still allowed to compete even when they are actively commiting a genocide of the Palestinian people! The deaths of thousands of people were not enough for the EBU to disqualify them. The public was being lied to with the anti-booing technology. Israeli delegation was constantly harassing other contestants and threatening them. Still, it was not enough to disqualify them. No, they received more than 300 points, ending in the 5th place.

And they will definitely be competing again next year without suffering any consequences for their actions. Shame on everyone who voted for them.

Fuck the EBU, fuck Israel, fuck Eurovision, fuck Martin Österdahl.

FREE PALESTINE

[casismycherrypiebaby]

Fuck Martin Österdahl and the ebu

[esc-is-holding-me-hostage]

Final thoughts:

despite everything, the show itself wasn't as much of a mess as i expected

Gåte deserved better

congrats to Germany for landing on the left side for once

my boyfriend liked the UK the most and was soooo upset at those nul points

i'm kinda sorry for the person who decided to go with the Martin Österdahl fan-song as a skit, absolutely worst timing ever

uncanny valley 3D ABBA was probably even worse though. who greenlighted that?

my working unhinged conspiracy theory is that Joost was a sacrificial lamb, disqualified to consolidate the televote around Baby Lasagna (and possible getting Nemo a bit more points) to minimize the risk of Israel winning either the televote or the whole thing (this is a joke, a goof, a low-effort shitpost, please don't take it seriously, it's not a real speculation)

the Joost situation is still baffling though. I can't believe the EBU was willing to upset the fans and strain their relationship with AVROTROS over something that, from an outsider's perspective at least, could've been resolved by a public apology and a fine

Israel's televote score IS sus, but maybe that's what you get when anti-Israel people are either boycotting the thing or refrain from voting, while pro-Israel people are not

I expected Nemo to win, but goddammit televote's 5th(!) place getting the crown while Baby Lasagna was right there still doesn't sit right with me

i think the skewed scores are in part caused by the no-jury semi-finals. countries are more likely to send televote-friendly songs because otherwise they are risking NQ -> there are less jury-friendly songs -> jury favorites end up with more points while the televote is more split. enjoy reaping the results of a band-aid solution

GIVE ME THE DETAILED SEMI-1 RESULTS FOR FUCK'S SAKE

i can't wait for the fallout of this mess

[eurovision-flashbacks]

so can isr**l fuck off now

martin österdahl can also fuck off

[awaybacktothen]

fuck you martin österdahl

[esctrash]

anger over i am now just completely heartbroken fuck you ebu and fuck you martin österdahl

[man-made-misery]

Martin österdahl's gotta be having a fucking meltdown right now and I hope it's bad

[reuna]

Once again seeing discussions about how Russia was banned from ESC because of their broadcaster somehow, conveniently, breaking rules at the same time people were demanding it would be banned because of Ukraine. I'm getting so fucking tired of this. Sent an email to EBU.

Hi. In your statement about why Russia was banned from Eurovision but israel is not, you write that  We are aware of the many voices calling to exclude Israel from this year’s competition in the same way as we excluded the Russian broadcaster in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Comparisons between wars and conflicts are complex and difficult and, as a non-political media organization, not ours to make. In the case of Russia, the Russian broadcasters themselves were suspended from the EBU due to their persistent breaches of membership obligations and the violation of public service values (https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/frequently-asked-questions-israel-24). However, we live in a time where every statement made in the past can be googled very easily, and find eg. this article by the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/30/eurovision-chief-russia-ban-stands-for-ultimate-values-democracy In the article, Martin Österdahl states, that: The Eurovision chief has said Russia’s ongoing ban from the international song contest has been hard but the event should stand for “the basic and ultimate values of democracy”. Russia was banned from competing in the Eurovision song contest in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s national broadcasters subsequently suspended their memberships of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the show, preventing them from taking part in future contests. Speaking to Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, for which the Swedish songwriter was acting as guest editor, Eurovision’s executive supervisor, Martin Österdahl, was asked if the decision to exclude Russia had been hard to make. He said: “It was, and it still is. How Europe feels very much affects the contest. “It is also that when you look back in time, you see that the Eurovision song contest is like a logbook of what has happened in Europe, what the trends have been in Europe. “But, also, what is the kind of mood and sentiment of Europe, and what is the social context of Europe at the time. When we say we are not political, what we always should stand up for are the basic and ultimate values of democracy. Everyone is right to be who they are.” Am I to conclude from this statement, that EBU believes that racial discrimination and apartheid, constant war crimes israel itself proudly displays on social media, and actions that the ICJ itself deemed to plausibly add up to genocide are the basic and ultimate values of democracy? Eagerly awaiting you reply, (my name)

[casismycherrypiebaby]

Today I miss Jon Ola Sand more than usually

Fuck Martin Österdahl

[aangarchy]

So this just in: the Netherlands got disqualified, the incident in question which caused this to happen was a VERBAL altercation between Joost Klein and a female production worker. No delegation was involved

BUT: the Israel team and delegation have been involved in multiple verbal altercations, including intimidation, harassment and threats and yet they can continue their participation.

Irish performer Bambie (who was the subject of one of the israeli threats and was censored by the EBU) did not show up during the flag parade for the family show, neither did Switzerland's performer and Greece's performer. I need every European who sees this to grow some balls and NOT watch tonight's show. Genuinely i don't give a rat's ass if that means israel wins, it's a non deserved and fake win anyway. We can't give them the satisfaction of views, attention, engagement. Show you disagree by not tuning in. If israel wins, we might as well be witnessing the downfall of eurovision, for a country not even in europe. But know that Croatia still has a chance of pulling through.

Fuck moroccanoil, fuck the EBU, fuck Eden Golan, fuck Israel, fuck Martin Österdahl and fuck everyone still supporting this bullshit show.

If any of you fellow europeans have any backbone, you'll not watch Eurovision this weekend. If you have tickets, don't go to the show. I'm hoping the other countries refuse to perform, so they won't have a show to broadcast. Let eden and her sad little delegation perform her sad little act in front of an empty stadium.