Sensible, normal people have no time for Hamas supporters
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Is the Eurovision Song Contest the most insightful window into western society and politics we currently have? As usual, the 2024 show delivered a memorable night of the fun, the bizarre and the weird. It was also highly politically charged as contestants voiced their opposition and disappointment in Israeli singer Eden Golan’s participation, citing the war in Gaza. Opposition got so intense it even lead to a deranged mob which included Greta Thunberg protesting Golan’s presence at the event. For a contest with the tag line “United by Music,” this was anything but, and highlighted the sharp disconnect between the general population and those who claim to speak for them.
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In the actual contest, Nemo from Switzerland triumphed ahead of Baby Lasagna out of Croatia, while Windows95man from Finland was unfairly maligned for a performance one could describe as brilliant lunacy. Champion Nemo is now hailed as not only a deserving winner, but also the first non-binary Eurovision winner. Good for them.
Eurovision tried to remain neutral but there was no escaping politics and contestant protests against Israel in 2024. This is sad. At its best the Eurovision Song Contest is an eclectic mix of genuine talent, psychedelic fever dreams and obscure cultural references. Frankly, of the three talent is perhaps the least important from an entertainment perspective. Indeed, if you have never watched Eurovision before, I must recommend that you pause reading and bask in the glory of Wolves of the Sea by Latvia in 2008: this is Eurovision at its finest.
This year, prior to the Grand Finale Saturday, several contestants specifically noted their dismay at Israel advancing to the final, with Ireland’s Bambie Thug saying they cried upon hearing that Israel had made it. Indeed, many in the live audience booed loudly in Malmö following Eden Golan’s “Hurricane” performance as well as nearly any time Israel came up during the show.
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So what, can all of this tell us about western society and politics generally?
Well, a very interesting thing happened when it was time to vote for the Eurovision champion. For, while the country juries awarded 365 of their votes to Switzerland — a deserving winner — they barely noted Israel, who garnered just 52. When, however, it came time for the popular vote from the television audience around Europe — which accounts for half the total score — Israel took second place and 323 votes, well ahead of Switzerland’s 226, and vaulted to a 5th place finish.
It was a striking example of the brutal and jarring disconnect between the elect and elite and the general population they govern or exert power over, or claim to speak for. While the story leading into the Eurovision contest was dominated by Israel and the war in Gaza, driven mainly by those who oppose Israel, in the end, and in direct opposition their country juries, nearly every western European television audience awarded the maximum points to Israel.
Eurovision is not a scientific poll, but it is the largest non-sporting television event in the world, with over 163 million viewers tuning in the year. One would not expect an audience which spends its time watching a song contest about inclusivity, unity and love, and which has voted for champions including non-binary artists, gay drag queens and alternative rock bands with leather outfits your grandmother wouldn’t approve of, to suddenly throw its support to Israel, if Israel truly were the genocidal hellscape its opponents allege.
Allow me to suggest that maybe, just maybe, this is because sensible, normal people who don’t spend their days ranting on Twitter see quite clearly that it is Israel who deserves our support, not Hamas, which started the war, or the caterwauling student encampments and hate demonstrations in the streets. Politicians everywhere should take note: normal people don’t tolerate this behavioural garbage. This also isn’t the first time the audience knew what side to be on. In 2022 the audience saw where culpability and responsibility lay, when they voted overwhelmingly for Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
In Canada there is much perplexity in certain quarters about the popularity of Pierre Poilievre. This mimics the confusion by many in the United States about how Donald Trump could possibly stand any chance at re-election to the presidency. So too, I believe, will there be consternation in June in Europe when undesirable parties of the “populist right” are elected to the European Parliament. Students on campus finally being removed for unlawful occupations are perplexed that not everyone is on their side. In all the above cases it is because politicians and the media are not bothering to listen to normal people who have no time for the virtue signalling nonsense of the Twitterati or the moral turpitude of Hamas supporters.
The Eurovision revelation of support for Israel is no surprise to anyone who can take a moment and look beyond their own bubble at the wider world. The populations of western countries are exceptionally open and welcoming to new ideas except for one: that our culture and history ought to be torn down. Eurovision is a small and frankly weird piece of what makes western culture great. It is also a demonstration that the audience watching on Saturday knows how valuable that is and why they voted for freedom and to be united by music in their support for Israel.
National Post
Adam Pankratz is a lecturer at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.
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