Eurovision winner JJ leads calls for Israel to be banned from song contest
He is 'disappointed' that Israel is still participating.
After triumphing in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final over the weekend, JJ is now calling for Israel’s removal from the competition.
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.
The Austrian singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, won with the song Wasted Love (Picture: AFP via Getty Images) JJ said it is ‘disappointing’ to see Israel still part of Eurovision (Picture: AP)‘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.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel this year (Picture: Reuters) Yuval Raphael came second in Basel, Switzerland (Picture: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock)‘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.
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‘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.
Protests raged through the streets across Eurovision week (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
