Eurovision winner JJ leads calls for Israel to be banned from song contest
The 24-year-old became the latest Eurovision winner on Saturday night, representing Austria with his song Wasted Love as the music extravaganza concluded in Basel, Switzerland.
Throughout the contest, protests raged through the streets against Israel's participation once again due to the country's bombardment of Gaza, where thousands of lives have been lost, and blockades against humanitarian supplies have been enforced.
This year, Israel was represented by Yuval Raphael, 24, with New Day Will Rise. The entrant came close to lifting the trophy after climbing the leaderboard in the jury vote, but ultimately finished second.
Speaking out after his win with 436 points against Israel's 357, JJ said he agrees with 2024 winner Nemo, of Switzerland, that elements of Eurovision need 'fixing', one of them being 'who participates in the festival'.
During an interview with Spanish journal El País, he said: 'It is very disappointing to see that Israel is still participating in the contest.
'I would like next year's Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel. But the ball is in the EBU's court. We, the artists, can only raise our voices on the matter.'
JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, also spoke about Eurovision organisers' decision to prohibit acts from displaying Pride flags on stage at the contest.
On it being a 'step backwards', he added: 'Although I was comforted to know that the audience could do it, I tried to sneak in a flag during the finals. But I got caught.
'I had it tucked away in a pocket of my pants, and someone from the organisation saw what I was carrying. Just before I went on stage, they told me, 'That's not your country's flag; you can't display it.' I almost made it.'
But it appears the singer has no intention of being silenced now, saying of his plans post-win: 'I'm going to take the opportunity and use this platform as huge as Eurovision to advocate for rights for the whole queer community and to make sure we have more equality.
'There is still a huge stigma around us, and unfortunately, Europe is becoming more and more conservative, taking steps backwards.
'It's very, very disappointing and something needs to be done about it.'
His remarks come after anti-Israel demonstrators were removed from the arena during the live final after attempting to climb onto the stage during Raphael's song.
A spokesman for Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR said: 'At the end of the Israeli performance, a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage.
'They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint, and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine, and nobody was injured.
'The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.'
Viewers at home remained unaware of the near-stage invasion, as the moment was not captured by BBC cameras.
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A spokesman for Basel police later said: 'The organiser handed the two people over to the police. The police checked the two people and then released them. It is now up to the organiser to decide whether to press charges.'
Israeli representative Raphael was reportedly left 'shaken and upset' after the protesters rushed towards her.
Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters remained in the streets, having taken over a bridge over the Rhine River with flags, banners, flares, and fake blood, which they smeared over blankets to represent children.
Public transport officials had to issue a warning to Eurovision attendees ahead of the final, urging them to avoid the street. More Trending
But the protests didn't end there, as Spanish broadcaster RTVE faces a whopping fine after persisting with a pro-Palestine message ahead of the final, despite a previous warning against doing so.
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Before airing their coverage, they showed a black screen with the text: 'When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option.'
'Peace and Justice for Palestine.'
Spain, represented this year by Melody with ESA DIVA, did so despite Eurovision maintaining it is a 'non-political' event, with rules on their website stating: 'All participating broadcasters, including the host broadcaster, shall be responsible to ensure that all necessary measures are undertaken within their respective delegations and teams to safeguard the interests and the integrity of the ESC and to make sure that the ESC shall in no case be politicised and/or instrumentalised and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.'
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