Israeli singer Eden Golan faced hostility from fellow contestants, a booing audience and a violent mob of thousands of pro-Hamas rioters outside the venue at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden. He was exposed to attacks and returned to Japan on Sunday after an eventful participation.
Golan represented Israel in the contest with the song “Hurricane,” which initially focused on the lives of those killed and hostages still held after the October 7 siege of Israel by Iranian-backed Hamas jihadists. It was planned to be a ballad praising the. The song, originally titled “October Rain”, was changed to comply with Eurovision’s “political ban” rules, but still explores themes of respecting the dead, commemorating the dead, and facing hatred fearlessly. was touching.
Facing a wave of hatred in Sweden, Golan landed in Israel on Sunday amidst flowers blooming and Israeli flags flying. She made what was estimated to be her first statement to the press after her return. 130 hostages He has remained in captivity by Hamas since October.
“It is a great honor for me to be here and have the opportunity to represent our country, especially at a time like this,” Golan said. Said According to reporters, era of israel. “I felt the love of the people. You can’t understand how much it helped me.”
Referring to the Hamas hostages, Golan asserted, “I represented my country and I was a voice for all the people who need to go home right now.”
While returning home on Sunday, Golan reportedly received a phone call from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who congratulated him on bringing “honor and courage” to the country.
“Dear Eden, you proudly stood up to the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic crowd present and brought us much honor and courage.” Y Net News The president was reported to have said. “It was a complex national task, and I would like to express my congratulations and gratitude.”
After his Eurovision performance on Saturday, Golan posted a message on his social media accounts, underscoring his commitment to the hostages, writing: “We look forward to your return.” Ta.
On Sunday, Golan published another article. message Commemorating Israel’s Day of Remembrance.
“I am still processing the past two weeks and the challenges I have faced are beginning to manifest. [sic] “This experience is unparalleled to that of the families of those who sacrificed their lives to protect and fight for our country, especially those who are still waiting for the return of their loved ones,” she wrote. This year’s Memorial Day has a bigger impact than any previous year. ”
“We pay a high price for our country, and we should never take it for granted. Today we honor 25,040 heroes. May their memory be a blessing.” concluded Golan.
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event where participating countries, including non-European friendly countries such as Israel and Australia, send representatives to perform original songs. A jury of music experts from each participating country will award half of their votes to their favorite artists, with the other half coming from a public televote.
Despite international efforts to expel Israel from the contest, many have cited expelling Russia in 2022 in response to that year’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Golan said. came in 2nd place in popularity vote, 5th place overall. The public gave Golan’s “Hurricane” 323 points, but the jury gave Golan only 52 points. At least one juror from Norway, the lowest-ranking juror, later admitted that he had refused to vote for Mr. Golan because he opposed Israel’s self-defense operations against Hamas.
Although Goran’s popularity vote was high, the Malmö audience was unsympathetic and booed her performance.
Mr. Golan also faced hostility from other participants. The Ireland international, a self-proclaimed “non-binary” “witch” known as “Bumbie Thug”, claimed she “cried” when she heard the news that Golan had qualified for the Eurovision grand final. At Saturday’s pre-final press conference, Golan was asked by a reporter whether he felt his choice to sing at Eurovision was putting his competitors at risk. Organizers told Golan he didn’t have to answer any questions, but Dutch singer Joost Klein responded to Golan’s part at the press conference by burying his head under a flag and asking, “Why aren’t you answering?” he shouted.
Klein was disqualified from the competition shortly afterward following what Eurovision organizers called an “incident” of threatening a photographer.Klein reportedly confronting Criminal investigation into illegal threats.swedish newspaper aftonbladet report On Monday, law enforcement officials announced that Klein would be indicted soon. rushed forward Towards a female photographer with a clenched fist. Event organizers clarified that Klein’s “incident” had nothing to do with Golan or any of the other performers.
In addition to “Bumby Thug” and Klein, multiple reports have accused Greek singer Marina Satti of Golan’s behavior, including pretending to sleep while the Israeli was speaking and exaggerating her expressions of boredom. He accused her of being rude to him.Satti later claimed In a social media post, she said she “didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
The Eurovision trophy ultimately went to Swiss singer and rapper Nimmo’s song ‘The Code’, which pays homage to being ‘non-binary’. broken Within minutes of winning.
Although it is noteworthy that Nimmo was not among the artists who were openly hostile to Israel, lament His victory added to the overall toxic atmosphere at this year’s Eurovision.
“This whole experience was really intense and not only fun the entire time,” Nimmo told reporters. “There were a lot of things that didn’t make me feel like it was all about love and unity. It made me really sad, but at the same time… there was also a lot of love here.”
