‘I don’t think it’s fair to bully artists’ – Bambie Thug on calls for acts to boycott Eurovision

The 68th Eurovision song contest began in Malmo tonight, against a backdrop of political tension and with large demonstrations planned to coincide with the event.

There have been ongoing calls for the organisers of Eurovision, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to expel Israel over the war in Gaza. In 2022, the EBU expelled Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement on the Eurovision website, the EBU said: “The Russian public service broadcasters had their EBU membership suspended in 2022 due to consistent breaches of membership obligations and the violation of public service media values.”

There have also been calls for artists due to perform to boycott the contest and withdraw in solidarity with Palestinian people.

Last month, 400 Irish artists wrote a letter addressed to Bambie Thug, calling on them to boycott the contest. Tonight, Ireland’s non-binary entrant said people looking for them to boycott should “be contacting the EBU and RTÉ more than me”.

“We are easy targets as artists. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to bully us so much, especially because I am doing everything in my power which I can do, outside of this.

“There is obviously pressure, but at the same time I am one person, I cannot make the change that [people] think I can,” they said.

“I am trying just to remain in my bubble now because there is one thing I need to do…and we are moving up in the odds and it has been a long road for me and also I am standing for a lot of things as a queer person as well and I am doing this for a lot of voices.”

Bambie Thug is confident about their performance of their song ‘Doomsday Blue’ at the first semi-final on Tuesday night.

“Nothing affects my performance. I am a performer, I am here to show my art on the stage regardless of what is happening. In those three minutes; that’s what’s happening in those three minutes… Obviously there is a massive cloud over it, but I am here to do one thing I have been working my whole life for, so I am going to be working very hard and giving the performance of a lifetime.”

They added that they are proud “of what we have created”.

In response to calls to expel Israel, the EBU Director General, and former Director General of RTÉ, Noel Curran, said the Eurovision “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”.

The Israeli delegation did not attend the turquoise carpet tonight because of Holocaust Memorial Day in their country.

An estimated 100,000 visitors are due to arrive in Malmo for the world’s largest live music contest.

There is heightened security around the event and according to local reports, forces have been drafted in from across Sweden, along with reinforcements from Denmark and Norway.

Earlier this week Bambie Thug was hospitalised after eating “bad shellfish” just days before their performance in the semi-final stage.

The Cork artist was forced to cancel a planned meet-and-greet performance in Malmo on Friday night and was taken to hospital and placed on a drip after becoming unwell.

They said they were feeling considerably better after resting.

“How’s my health? I am better today… I am over the food poisoning… it was horrible.. and gross. An ordeal but I am alright,” they said.

They added that they are feeling confident in their performance and were joined on the red carpet with their choreographer Matt Williams.

Many of the acts spoke about the unifying impact of music when they walked the carpet.

The favourite to win the competition is the Croatian act Baby Lasagna with their song ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’. There is also a lot of support for non-binary Swiss artist Nemo’s ‘The Code’.

The Finnish act Windows95man will sing ‘No Rules!’ And broke out into song on the carpet, while the Dutch act Joost spoke of the personal meaning behind their single ‘Europapa’ which he has dedicated to his deceased parents.

The last time the Eurovision was staged in Malmo was in 1992 and Ireland were victorious – winning with Linda Martin’s ‘Why Me?’.

Ireland has not qualified for the Grand Final since 2018 with Ryan O’Shaughnessy and his track, ‘Together’.

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