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IRELAND’S EUROVISION ENTRY Sarah McTernan will compete in the second semi-final of the competition tonight amid heightened security on the ground in host city Tel Aviv.
Eurovision 2019 is contentious, however. Calls for a boycott have grown louder in recent months whilst others have labelled such calls “anti-Semitic”, arguing that Eurovision is an apolitical event.
National broadcaster RTÉ received over 100 emails between January and April from members of the public and campaign groups ahead of this year’s song contest, correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act shows.
People calling for a Eurovision boycott contacted management at Montrose to urge RTÉ to “take a stance” and “show some back bone” by not taking part this year while those supporting Eurovision 2019 were quick to point out the “non-political” nature of the competition.
RTÉ has consistently held the line that Eurovision is a non-political musical event. That didn’t prevent almost 130 emails and letters being sent between January and April – and dozens more being sent last year – to Director General Dee Forbes, Irish Delegation Head producer Michael Kealy and RTÉ’s press office by people both urging a boycott and objecting to one.
‘Any excuse’
The exact same wording sent in late February from 22 locations worldwide including Melbourne, New York City and the Czech Republic, shows a concerted effort to impress upon RTÉ that any boycott of Eurovision 2019 would be “immoral and mean-spirited”.
RTÉ, the emails said, “is doing the right thing” ignoring these calls, led largely by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) since last year.
“The boycotters are looking for any excuse to try and disrupt the competition,” the email states.
“This time their gripe is that KAN, the Israeli broadcaster, is issuing 500 rehearsal tickets to IDF soldiers, and expectations that the traditional ‘visual postcards’ broadcast during the show will include images from the Golan Heights and the City of Jerusalem,” the email states.
‘Visual postcards’ during Eurovision are montage segments of musical acts visiting famous sites and spots in host countries.
The letter goes on to thank Forbes and RTÉ for their “continued and principled stand in not supporting the immoral and divisive Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement”.
Since Israeli singer Netta won last year’s contest, IPSC and the global BDS movement have called for countries to boycott Eurovision 2019.
Between June and December last year, RTÉ representatives responded internally to emails and letters in relation to those for and against a boycott.
This began before Ireland confirmed its participation in this year’s competition, and has continued afterwards. From January, however, RTÉ management largely stopped discussing emails from both sides, the most recent correspondence shows.
In June, one month after Netta won in Lisbon and three months before Ireland declared its intention to travel to the Middle East to compete in Eurovision 2019, Channel 10 News in Israel wrote to RTÉ asking why the national broadcaster had yet to confirm its participation in the event.
Following the publication of this correspondence by TheJournal.ie earlier this year, one woman wrote to RTÉ to express her embarrassment at the situation.
“It is hugely embarrassing to me as an Irish woman and as someone who works in the media, that several media outlets, including Channel 10 News in Israel felt compelled to write to RTÉ asking why my national broadcaster had yet to confirm its participation in the event,” they wrote.
At the same time as the email from 22 different locations was sent to RTÉ, the IPSC reiterated its concerns to RTÉ via email that Ireland should not send an act to Tel Aviv and its hope that the national broadcaster would “stand on the right side of history”.
RTÉ has said it won’t sanction staff members who do not wish to travel to Israel for this year’s competition and has said that its coverage of the event will include reporting on the ongoing conflict.
The IPSC has so far gathered over 16,000 signatures calling for an Irish boycott of the competition.
‘Hard-earned money’
In March, members of the IPSC protested at Montrose on the day Sarah McTernan was announced as Ireland’s 2019 Eurovision entry.
Following the protest at RTÉ, the broadcaster received correspondence from one TV License holder who objected to Ireland’s participation in Eurovision 2019 due to the “subjugation and maltreatment of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli state”.
For this reason, I am urging RTÉ to immediately announce its withdrawal from this contest.
Two weeks previously, another “faithful TV license payer” told RTÉ they wouldn’t “pay hard-earned money to an organisation that caves into a small number of lobbyists”.
It was not just concerned individuals who contacted the national broadcaster as this year’s competition drew nearer.
Groups like Northern Ireland Friends of Israel and Creative Community for Peace also urged RTÉ to take part in Eurovision 2019, documents show.
RTÉ has consistently held the line that Eurovision is a non-political event and that no member of the European Broadcasting Union is boycotting this year’s competition.
Ireland Palestine Alliance group Sadaka, as well as Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan also wrote to RTÉ calling for a boycott in late February.
Meanwhile, in March and April, Sligo County Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council wrote to RTÉ following council motions calling on RTÉ to boycott this year’s Eurovision.
Earlier this week, Galway City Council became the latest local authority to call on RTÉ to boycott Eurovision 2019.
Last year, RTÉ management found itself practicing diplomacy by addressing issues internally around calls for a boycott.
The Eurovision delegation and RTÉ’s press office responded to emails pointing out that the event is apolitical in nature and that no other EBU member was boycotting this year’s contest.
But the vast majority of the nearly 130 emails sent between January and April were not responded to.
Writing in March, one person argued that boycotting the event “will have no relevance to or effect on Israel’s government and military activities” while another said such a move would be “an ineffective and counter-productive tool”.
“I realise everyone in RTÉ is busy and would rather not have to reply to every crank email,” this person wrote. “I sincerely hope common sense prevails and RTÉ continues to provide an excellent service”.
As the final approaches, tensions have heated up on the ground in Tel Aviv with the Gaza-based Palestinian Artists Association saying that the Israeli state is using the event to “perpetuate oppression, promote injustice or whitewash a brutal apartheid regime”.
The EBU also said last week that the security of Eurovision contestants was paramount and that it was working with state broadcaster KAN as well as the Israeli army to monitor the situation in Tel Aviv.
Israel said it won’t allow in activists who plan to disrupt this year’s competition by blocking them from entering the country.
Yesterday, Palestinian protesters were wounded during protests to mark the anniversary of their mass displacement and the creation of Israel in 1948.
The demonstrations came two weeks after a ceasefire was announced to end two days of fighting in the region.
For some, Eurovision means Eurovision.
“Netta, as you know, is one of the most extraordinary talents we’ve seen emerge from Eurovision,” one citizen wrote to RTÉ in late February.
“Israel is an old, much-loved Eurovision face: she’s competed 41 times and won 4 times.”
“In other words, better than the UK’s record!”
“It would be such a shame to make your audience miss out on such talent spotting this year – which, as well as being one of the campest, glitziest, partylicious nights of the year, is what Eurovision is all about.”
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How about money for flood defences here first or our homeless
In before the “look to our own” posts!
If European countries actually stopped donating aid money(especially already bankrupt Ireland) to Middle Eastern countries,it might actually put the onus on Middle Eastern countries to sort out their Middle Eastern problems instead of expecting outsiders to do it for them.
Ireland is now top of the fur coat and no knickers league. Like a drunk in a pub buying rounds for all while his wife and kids sit in the cold and dark at home.
Bankrupting Europe,America ,is their aim.Then they have free rein,and power.
Real meeting of the minds going on here in this thread
Charity starts at home.
There’s a difference between charity and crisis relief / foreign development aid. If we want to live in a developed and progressive world then those with the ability and resources have an obligation to help poorer nations become developed.
I know that not many will agree with or want to hear that, but ask yourselves this. If the money spent of development and relief was cancelled, do you seriously believe it would be spent on helping people here? Not a chance.. it’d be earmarked for paying back national debts instead. I’d sooner see my tax money going towards helping folk abroad, than on lining the pockets of foreign and already wealthy investors.
I am sick of this government sending cash to other country’s ,this money is better spent in this country …we have umpteen people suffering here, has any other country come to our aid in the last few weeks…..none. Keep this cash in this country and fcuk all other third country’s all they do is buy arms for there needs & yes they spend billions on bullets & bombs .
Here here!!!
Quatar, Saudi Arabia and the US are funding this war. Let them fund the humanitarian fall out… Totally 100%.
Where’s Quatar?
Sean, the US has provided $1.7 billion so far!
http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria
Absolute disgrace handing out millions. This goverment does not represent the majority.
People need to protest. Fat cats giving our money away while we suffer with austerity handed out by them
What a waste of government finds. The worst part of all is that it will end up in The pockets of some dictator and the people at large lack the education to realise that the West isn’t their enemy despite all of our charity.
Haha, you actually think anyone else in the world knows we exist? Not the mention see us as part of the big bad western empire trying to take over the world?…. Back down the pub with you.
I live and work in Dubai and let me tell you something sunshine, the Irish presence here is formidable. One of the most influential in fact. We’re well known and respected across the region for our business acumen and achievement.
I pity you for feeling so inferior…Now, back down the pub with YOU.
Stay where you are Frog Macd. Dubai will obviously collapse without your presence.
Dubai has already collapsed once and been bailed out but you’re right, without expats, this place would still be an empty desert with no future.
No without Dubai’s enormous oil reserve it would be dust and sand.
Nothing to do with the expats, who can’t even hold hands with there partner because they aren’t married..
Oil and religious laws is what has Dubai the way it is.
The money comes from the oil but the expertise to build the amazing skyline came by employing foreign, mainly western, engineers and architects. The locals often make a point of saying this themselves.
We can hold hands,kiss and hug in public here in Dubai. Over 80% expats here and no sharia police. Where are you getting your information from may I ask?
Horrid place,,, built by slaves, full of brassers. An unsustainable, half built monstrosity of a town that will cease to exist in 20 years…
See ya in the village Friday buddy!
True, true…Everyone sees it except the locals and the poor Bangladeshi labourers working in the mid day sun for 5$ a day ;-)
They jerk the strings; the puppets jump!
Its an absolute disgrace that you would begrudge these people the aid that they need. They’ve been driven from their homes by war. If you have a place to live and food to eat you are 1000 times better off than these people. Its not a matter of it “not being Ireland’s problem” its a matter of it being humanity’s problem, if the roles were reversed you’d be grateful of the aid. Its hard to believe that most people would want us to turn our back on fellow human beings in their hour of need.
This is the problem with our country people like u the do gooders we have our own stuff to deal with you obviously
Haven’t fallen on hard times I hope u never experience it, you might have a different opinion then
Not our problem in the end of the day we have enough problems here to be looking after like yes flood defences looking after the homeless pensioners if the shoe was on the other foot Id like to see if they would help us not a chance
What do you want.. a shipment of commas?
shocking to see what people have to say about this. We are a million times better off than these people even if we don’t have much and the fact that some would begrudge money being sent to help women, children and men that didn’t choose to end up like this is sick.
I’m sorry did I miss something here!!!!
Are there not irish people still homeless in Ireland after the banks took there homes and the government are giving charity abroad???
Are we thick in the head letting this happen..
Charity starts at home. .. give to the irish
Leave it to the Gulf and Middle East…plenty of rich nations eg Qatar UAE that could donate! stop depending on the broken EU !
have your say