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Will politics steal the show at the Eurovision Song Contest?

The world's largest music competition is facing backlash over Israel's entry

As war continues in Gaza, a cultural row is flaring on the other side of the world over Israel鈥檚 involvement in the 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The country鈥檚 act was initially blocked from entering the world's largest music competition as its proposed lyrics were deemed too political, but they have since been cleared to compete. This has outraged many on social media, with some fans calling for other countries to boycott the event.

Eurovision's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union, insist the contest is apolitical, but they have invited scrutiny in recent years particularly over the decision to ban Russia from competing due to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. On this episode James Reynolds discusses the fallout with 91热爆 News Eurovision Reporter Daniel Rosney, and they consider whether it鈥檚 ever possible for Eurovision to stay out of politics.

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