"Politics Has Always BeenThe "Eurovision" synonymous. The Guardian

• 04.15.2017, 13:31
•  World

www.theguardian.com

Few rules have been bent, manipulated and outright broken quite like the Eurovision song contest’s ban on “lyrics, speeches [or] gestures of a political or similar nature”, The Guardian reports.

Over the six decades of the competition there have been peace, war and the fall of the Berlin Wall – but this year politics has gripped Eurovision in a more brazen fashion than ever.

A high-profile tussle between the host nation, Ukraine, and Russia reached fever pitch on Friday when the Russian broadcaster Channel One announced it would not broadcast the contest next month. The move was in retaliation for the host’s decision to ban Russia’s contestant, Julia Samoilova, after it emerged she had visited Crimea, annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014, and performed there.

It is the first time the host state has banned another state’s entrant, and many within Eurovision accused Ukraine of politicising the contest.

However, others see the decision to put forward Samoilova as an equally political move on the part of Russia, forcing Ukraine to choose between upholding its laws and appeasing Eurovision. Russia had initially promised not to choose a contentious entry in the interests of peace and it was only on the night of the deadline that it finally put forward Samoilova.