Eurovision 2024 organisers promise review of controversies after Bambie Thug complaints

Eurovision organisers have said it is a matter of regret that some delegations did not respect the rules of the song contest which concluded on Saturday night.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, has been criticised by many of the artists involved including Irish entrant Bambie Thug.

Bambie claimed that the EBU did not intervene following remarks made by a commentator on Kan, the Israeli state broadcaster, which Bambie took as an incitement to violence against them.

[ Bambie Thug’s quiet protest was more effective than any Eurovision boycott ]

Bambie did not take part in the dress rehearsal or the flag ceremony before on Saturday’s final as a consequence, but performed as expected on the night. Afterwards, they gave a tearful, expletive-laden press conference in which they accused the EBU of doing nothing about the comments broadcast on Kan.

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“I just want to say we are what the Eurovision is. The EBU is not what the Eurovision is. F**k the EBU, I don’t even care any more. F**k them,” they said.

“The thing that makes us contestants, the community behind it, the love and the power and the support of all of us is what’s making change. The world has spoken, the queers are coming, non-binaries for the f**king win, and I am so proud.”

Israel’s participation, coming when the country is being accused of committing war crimes in Gaza, was another source of controversy. Lithuanian entrant Silvester Belt described following Israel in the grand final as a “traumatic experience”, adding: “Going after that country, with the crowd being so intense, was one of the worst things I had to go through. I really did the best that I could in this situation.”

The Italian entrant, Angelina Mango, complained about a tense atmosphere beforehand and even the winner, Switzerland’s Nemo, said the competition needs fixing. Israel’s participation led to the withdrawal of presenters from Norway and Finland, who refused to do the public vote because the country was still in the competition.

Other Eurovision members complained that the Israeli delegation was going around filming them without their permission and there was even a row over the banning of the European Union flag from the Malmö venue.

Coupled with the expulsion of the Dutch entrant, Joost Klein, over an incident with a camerawoman, Eurovision 2024 was the most controversial contest in the competition’s history.

In response, the EBU did not name any specific complaints but stated it was a matter of “regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö did not respect the spirit of the rules and the competition both on-site and during their broadcasts”.

“We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention,” the EBU said.

“The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.”

The Eurovision drama was good, though, for audiences. RTÉ almost doubled its viewership for the competition, helped by the presence of an Irish entrant making the final for the first time since 2018.

[ Bambie Thug’s sixth place makes for dramatic Eurovision night in Malmo ]

The final was watched by an average of 666,000 viewers on RTÉ One on Saturday night, representing 54 per cent of the available audience. Last year’s Eurovision had an average of 362,000 viewers with a 38 per cent share.

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