"Eurovision became a platform celebrating diversity and the cosmopolitan face of societies that did not always match what was happening on stage. Dana International (Israel), Conchita Wurst (Austria), and Verka Serduchka (Ukraine) became festival icons. At the same time, Viktor Orban's Hungary and Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey chose to step away in response to the contest's transformation."
Several countries have considered boycotting Eurovision over Israel’s participation, while the host country’s top diplomat argued the contest should not be used to impose sanctions. Austria previously boycotted Eurovision in 1969 by refusing to send a representative to Madrid to avoid legitimizing the Franco regime during Spain’s state of emergency and restricted press freedoms. Eurovision began as a European integration project through public broadcasters, and later expansion of the European Broadcasting Union beyond Europe, including into the Middle East and North Africa, increased tensions among participants. Greece withdrew in protest over Turkey’s participation after Turkey invaded Cyprus. Eurovision’s modernization, televoting, and LGBTQ+ enthusiasm helped revive the festival and promote diversity, yet some governments stepped away as the contest changed.
Read at english.elpais.com
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