“A Cesspit Of Jew Hatred” | Kevin O’Sullivan FURIOUS At Eurovision

We're going to talk about EUR Vision uh what a stain on the television scene that was over the weekend wasn't it uh used to be the happy Snappy fun musical competition where all the nations of the world it used to be Europe but you get countries like Australia and indeed Israel in it by the way I have no objection to Israel taking part of.

Course apart from fact that can't help help noticing uh Israel isn't in Europe and then then again nor all those Eastern uh countries and indeed I think at Australia the other year didn't we so they don't really uh they're not particularly strict about their geographical requirements uh but uh this was an explosion in Malmo in Sweden an.

Explosion of anti-Semitism to be honest with you an explosion of Jew hatred the uh Dutch contestant uh some guy uh was kicked out for uh being well for a punch-up apparently with a uh with the Israeli delegation uh Bambi Thug who got beaten by Israel haaa uh Israel came fifth in the end much the fury of people like Bambi Thug.

Who was that strange little Irish singer uh she was very Pro Palestine and didn't like the involvement of Egypt at all so uh lots and lots of awful stuff going on those demonstrations outside uh let's talk well I've got two guests lined up we'll sort of cover the uh showz angle with Hannah hope she's the showz editor of the sun on Sunday we'll talk to her.

In just a little while but first let's talk to the editor of spiked online Tom Slater hello Tom good evening Kevin how you doing uh I'm good I don't know if you watched uh the song contest I I dipped into it uh as a journalist I don't really like that contest much but I kept watching it some guy wearing a pom pom from Switzerland appeared to win.

As far as I could work out but the backdrop to that final result here's the winner was really rancid wasn't it really Sinister almost that those demonstrations led by uh Greta thurg outside you know it's all pro Palestine but frankly the tone is anti-israel more than Pro Palestine and inside the auditorium the Dutch contestant thrown.

Out kicked out of the contest after some kind of uh violent physical clash with the Irish delegation he made his feelings uh plain in a press conference with the poor Edan Golan the Israeli singer sitting next to him saying you know some people maybe shouldn't be here for the safety of the rest of us and so on and so forth so this tournament this.

Competition uh just did descend into a cesspit of Jew hatred didn't it it was absolutely awful and on top of what you list listed there in terms of the protest in terms of the snide comments from other contestants you also saw people um again kind of being filmed dancing with Eden Goan backstage and then having to put out a statement.

Saying this is not a political statement she was basically treated like a kind of moral leper for no other reason than the fact that she's Jewish she's Israeli and she was there to represent a country which is why I think the public vote the televote the votes that people can just call up or get on the app and say which acts they like was so in Israel's favor.

Was a great thing to see um you know it was in 14 of the 37 countries where Israel to the public vote and I think frankly that would never have happened if people hadn't seen the horrendous treatment that edang goolan the Israeli entry received and it was nice to see a kind of a mini public revolt against that anti-israel mod that we saw out on.

The streets of Malmo recent days yeah let's get let's put that into context all of the professional judges the countries around the world uh delivered the political Orthodoxy of this event by awarding uh poor edang Goan uh 52 points in total which is pretty feeble and by the way uh her song was a good song maybe we'll have a quick listen to it in.

A minute uh unlike most of the entrance uh anyway when it came to the people uh the public votes 323 points uh vating uh Edam from right near the bottom to fifth place uh beating Bambi Thug the pro Palestinian fanatic uh from Ireland into sixth place that must have uh hurt her very much but uh you you know as you say the people they decided they'd have.

Enough of this victimization if they don't get rid of this kind of politicization uh frankly anti-Semitism that dominated this year's event in Sweden this contest is finished isn't it I think it is that's exactly that I mean there have been issues like this before in recent years when Israel hosted Eurovision in 2019 there was a big.

Boycott campaign calls for acts to pull out for broadcasters to pull out eventually everything was all right on the night I think because there are so many people nowadays who have just in the course of about five minutes fallen for anti-israel propaganda who are just constantly spouting the mass talking points who have suddenly become enormous.

Experts on the most intractable conflicts in the Middle East overnight um this is going to be a feature of the debate going forward almost every year I think so it was it was good to see the European broadcasting Union who the organizers of Eurovision stand behind Israel and it was also good to see the public make their presence felt in this.

Televote it really really was Tom thank you very much for your time great to talk to you let's get you on again very soon uh let's go to the show's editor of the sun on Sunday the excellent Hannah hope hi Hannah Hello uh sorry to keep you waiting uh on the Showbiz side of things I thought uh have we got timed by the way just talking to my production.

Team here got time to play a few seconds of Edan golan's rather good song let's do it let's do it every day every day I'm losing my mind holding this myc STM I great little song I thought that Hannah she uh originally called it.

October rain they made her change it uh to a hurricane because they didn't want the tournament to be too political uh that didn't work out for them did it no it ended up being probably the most iCal Eurovision to date and the entire contest which historically is kind of Camp fun quite a lot of xenophobia uh usually but it's usually all quite.

Tongue and cheek and taken on the chin in good Gest this contest felt uh very edgy there was a wall of Steel around the event space in Malmo uh thousands of police descended and lots of arrests and it just felt uh like a comp completely different contest alog together and I think was a real shame and that showed in the viewing figures as well Kevin uh.

Last year it had two million more viewers uh than it did this year it got an A a high of 8.5 that was this year but last last year it got up to around about yeah 8.5 that's the way that's what it will be if it carries on like this yeah last year I think it got up to about 12 million at one point so yes uh the audience voted uh with their off.

Switches obviously I think put off by this rather Sinister I say Pro Palestine uh tone but frankly it was anti-semitic it was anti-jewish Jew was full of Jew hatred and I don't think people liked that uh also I mean I don't want to get prudish about it I don't care wear what you like on these shows but I love a lot of parents who sat down with their.

Parents with with their kids were a bit worried about this plethora this uh prevalence of these sort of s masochistic sex outfits that so many of the men seem to be wearing I mean you would be a bit confused I mean you could switch on and kind of think gosh have I like tuned into some SNM Channel but I do think.

That is representative of the pop videos that we see on TV today uh whether it's men or women uh wearing these kind of risque outfits um so I think that that that is just the music industry in 2024 but yeah certainly if you had very young children you may um get them to listen to the music rather than to watch it on television well I I just as I say.

I I'm a great believer in Freedom watch whatever you want put whatever you like on television but if you do that you're going to lose a lot of viewers uh who might be some of them prudish and some of them young uh so your decision EUR a vision but was it a good decision uh finally uh Hannah you know Eurovision next year it will be now uh who won in.

Switzerland won't it it's going to have to get very tough isn't it with this political aspect he going to have to crack down on that otherwise the joyous innocence of this competition will be destroyed and that means the competition will be destroyed well actually they had a bit of a victory and that they had their.

First ever nonbinary winner uh Switzerland's Nemo won the competition um but you're right it it really did become completely marred and then you even had a lot of the acts themselves turning on the competition organizers uh which was really quite a bizarre situation and to have the Israel act poor old Eden goolan being moved to a.

Completely separate Hotel I know it was awful uh Hannah got to go but great to talk to you for

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