#Boycott #broadcast #Eurovision #Song #Contest #Israelcritical #musicians #disappointed #Yle
2.8 million Finns watched the final of the Eurovision Song Contest last year. Then Käärijä fought for the victory and the interest from the television viewers was enormous.
This year there will be a change in that matter, if a group of Finnish musicians gets what they want. The group, which already in January demanded that Israel be excluded from the competition, is now calling for a boycott of the television broadcasts from the semi-finals and the final in Malmö on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The boycott call is primarily aimed at Yle. After it became clear that Israel was allowed to compete in the ESC, the musicians’ demand was that Finland withdraw from the competition.
“Yle has tried to transfer the responsibility to the European Radio and Television Union EBU. The EBU’s justification for Israel’s participation nevertheless rests on shaky ground. The EBU organizes the competition and decides who can participate. The decision about Finland’s participation still belongs to Yle and it cannot be delegated to anyone else,” the musicians write in an open letter published on Sunday morning.
We trust that most Finns understand that protesting against Israel does not mean supporting Hamas.
Lukas Korpelainen
“Protest against Israel not support for Hamas”
The group of 1,500 musicians and other professionals in the music industry believe that Israel’s participation in the ESC gives the country a chance to polish its image, which in turn contributes “to continued occupation and continued violations of human rights.”
Instead of watching the television broadcasts, the musicians want the Finns to participate in alternative events that will be organized in different parts of the country. An alternative music competition to the ESC, Falastinvasion, is also promised. The competition, which is held in Malmö like the ESC, is streamed online at the same time as the ESC final.
A protest against Israel does not mean that you support Hamas, says the musician Lukas Korpelainen.Salla Merikukka
Lukas Korpelainen is the contact person for the Finnish musicians protesting Israel’s participation in the ESC.
He doesn’t yet have much information about Falastinvasion, but he hopes that streaming the event can bring together those who took part in the protest against Yle and the EBU.
Has it been discussed in your group about also marking the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year, or showing sympathy for the Israelis who are still being held hostage?
– When we started the collection of names at the beginning of the year, we asked ourselves if it was necessary. Most already condemned Hamas. We didn’t want to sidetrack the discussion. This is about Israel’s participation in the ESC where Hamas does not participate. We trust that most Finns understand that protesting against Israel does not mean supporting Hamas.
Finnish artists such as Olavi Uusivirta, Vesta and Paleface have signed the original address calling for Israel to be excluded from the competition. Axel Ehnström, who represented Finland in Eurovision 2011, has also signed.
