London Eurovision screening party canceled due to Israel’s participation

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London Eurovision Song Contest Screening Party Canceled Due to Israel’s Participation: ‘It Is Not a Contest Between Governments,’ Says Organizer

A London screening party for the Eurovision Song Contest finals has been canceled, the organizers have said.

variety.com

London’s biggest screening party for the Eurovision Song Contest finals has been canceled, the venue Rio Cinema and organizer Eurovision Party London have said.

“Following discussion with the organizers of Eurovision Party London, we have collectively decided not to screen the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year while Israel remains in the competition,” the Rio Cinema said in a statement on X. “The Eurovision Party London has been a beloved partner of The Rio Cinema for many years, and we will continue to work with them in the future. We firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest has the power to bring people together across the world, and when its core values of inclusivity, equality and universality are upheld, it can be a genuine force for good. With its own slogan in mind, we hope that we can all be United By Music again soon. We will continue to organize fundraising events for the charities we support, including Doctors Without Borders and Medical Aid for Palestine.”

An update on that page:

Noel Curran, the director general of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, has responded to the furore around London’s biggest screening party for the event’s grand finale being canceled over Israel‘s participation.

Curran said in a statement shared with Variety: “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East. We can’t fail to be moved by the profound suffering of all those caught up in this terrible war. However, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political music event and a competition between public service broadcasters who are members of the EBU. It is not a contest between governments. We are aware of the many voices calling to exclude Israel from this year’s competition in the same way as we excluded the Russian broadcaster in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.”

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I feel terrible for regular Israeli people. I also felt terrible for a lot of Russian artists I like who were affected by sanctions even though they had nothing to do with the Ukraine invasion either. It does seem like Jewish people all over the world have bigger target signs on their backs because Antiemetic people barely needed anything resembling an excuse to attack them. I wish people were a lot more hesitant to go after regular citizens from any country.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Note: Israel will participate at ESC 2024, it is just a public viewing party which was cancelled due to it where probably the local pressure got too high, or where security concerns now spoke against it.

But yes, still sad enough.

 

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Note: Israel will participate at ESC 2024, it is just a public viewing party which was cancelled

I'm hoping everyone can at least read through the thread title before responding.