On Tuesday evening, the first Eurovision semi-final took place in Malmö. During the event, there was a scandal – it was caused by Eric Saade, the former representative of Sweden in the competition who appeared as a guest.
Singer E. Saade is not participating in the competition this year, but he performed at the opening ceremony together with singers Eleni Foureira and Chanel, writes the Swedish portal svt.se.
It turns out that he violated the rules of Eurovision. The performer took to the stage wearing a kufiya, an Arab headscarf, which is most often used to express support for the Palestinians during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Eric had wrapped his arms around her wrist.
Doing so is strictly prohibited. First, it is not allowed to use flags of non-contesting countries during performances. Second, it is seen as a political gesture against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Participants of the first semi-final of “Eurovision”. (113 photo)
By the way, Eric Saade himself advocated that Israel be banned from participating in Eurovision. In addition, he was outraged that the Arab headscarf could not be used in the competition.
The organizers of Eurovision 2024 have already commented on this incident. They noted that Eric Saade was briefed on the rules. The organizers say they are disappointed that the singer ignored them and acted like this.
The Eurovision Song Contest is broadcast live. All performers are familiarized with the competition rules. We regret that Eric Saade decided to ignore the non-political nature of the event,” SVT quoted the organizers as saying.
E. Saade has already commented on this scandal. He noted that he received the kufia as a child from his father, who is Palestinian. The singer admitted that he wrapped it around his wrist to have something authentic and to show his origin.
Eric Saade / Vida Press photo.
“I received a kufija from my father when I was little so that I would never forget where I came from. Little did I know then that one day it would be called a “political gesture”. In my opinion, this is simply racism. I just wanted to be inclusive and wear something authentic to me, but the EBU (European Broadcasting Union – ed note) seems to think my nationality is controversial. It says nothing about me, but it says everything about them. I say this as this year’s Eurovision slogan proclaims: “Music unites us,” the singer complained.
Silvester Belt returned to the hotel after winning the Eurovision semi-finals (17 photo)
Tags: Swede Eric Saade caused scandal Eurovision organizers spoke spoke
