Eurovision protest songs would be powerful
ANUMBER of weeks ago a host of well-known figures launched a campaign for Ireland to boycott Eurovision 2019 in Israel. A petition set up in support of the boycott has been signed by almost 3,500 people.
Almost 700,000 Irish households watched Eurovision Song Contest Final on RTE and Senator David Norris warned it was ‘inappropriate’ to hold an entertainment contest in Israel.
He said: ‘Dum-dum bullets, which expand in the wound and create appalling injuries, are being used against children in Gaza. I think it’s very inappropriate to have an entertainment [contest] there when all this is going on a couple of miles away.
‘I think people will pay attention if Ireland pulls out because it has such a history in the song contest. It’s loved all over the world but a lot of people would be sensitive to this. It’s nothing against the woman who won the contest but it is against having it in that country which is behaving in an appalling way.’
Now I don’t really have a problem with the good intentions behind this form of protest. I just don’t think it will make any difference. It is not my intention to get into the political issue of Israel and Palestine. But boycotting next year’s song contests is somewhat hypocritical.
FOR a start we have no problem attempting to qualify for a World Cup in Qatar, where let’s face it, the human rights record would give Russia a run for its money.
I also don’t believe that boycotting this will actually work. People don’t care. The Eurovision is big enough to go ahead without us. Do you think any of the 200 million viewers that the final attracts care about Ireland or could even point us out on a map?
Music has always been part of protest but if we are serious about making a mark at the Eurovision we should use the song as a form of protest. In a couple of weeks, RTE will host their annual Eurovision pow wow at Montrose where they will decide, thanks to a panel of experts, the best way to pick next year’s entry.
I’m told Ryan O’Shaughnessy will head a list of experts and I hope that he has the strength to impress on the powers that be that artistic expression can make more of an impact in Israel next May rather than a boycott.
Take U2. They have been at the forefront of music protest for years. They hate what Trump is doing in America but you don’t see them boycotting the States.
Far from it. They actually chose Tulsa, in the Trump heartland to kick off their tour as it was close to Charlottesville, the scene of the white supremacist march last year. And they incorporated their anti-fascist message into their show.
I was there as members of the audience and clearly Trump supporters got up and left. But U2 made their point and the world was watching.
Again I am not trying to belittle what is going on in Palestine. But if Ireland truly wants to make a point, we need to make our song relevant to that situation. Last year O’Shaughnessy made waves worldwide when he chose two same-sex dancers as the showpiece for his entry Together, which promoted the theme that love — all love — conquers over hate.
Instead of a boycott, Ireland’s song should make a point about the crisis in Palestine. We should take advantage of the 200 millionstrong audience and stand on a stage in Israel to protest properly against the situation Palestine. This would have far greater an effect than simply not turning up.
Such a bold move would dominate the news agenda surrounding the contest and could even prompt Israel into a censorship programme that could cost them future hosting privileges of the contest.
This is the only realistic means Ireland has of making any serious protest against Israel hosting the Eurovision. However I don’t see the Government or RTE making such a bold move and undoubtedly we will be left struggling to finds a song that can at the very least qualify us for the grand finale. This is a stickier prospect than most think.