Song competition: Does Israel really want to compete with “October Rain”?

There are protests against Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Now it is possible to exclude candidate Eden Golan. Because it is supposed to compete with a song called “October,” which is classified as political.

The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest, the European Broadcasting Union, do not like political messages at all – even if they happen as often as in Ukraine 2022. This year, there are again discussions about politics in the song contest. This time the focus is on Israel. There were prior protests against their participation in the competition, which will be held in Sweden next May. So far, the European Broadcasting Union has confirmed that Israel will also participate. That may change now: Israeli candidate Eden Golan is scheduled to appear titled “October Rain.” Israeli news website Ynet reported on Wednesday that organizers considered the position political and were considering excluding it.

According to media reports, the 20-year-old song refers to the massacre committed by the Islamist group Hamas in Israel on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. But the song is not officially released yet. Israel's public broadcaster Kan is reportedly insisting that the song's lyrics not be changed, even if it costs Israel its participation, according to Ynet.

The ESC final will be held on May 11 in Malmö. The 68th edition of the ESC will be held in Sweden this year after singer Lauren won last year's competition in Liverpool with the song “Tattoo” by the Scandinavian country. At the beginning of December, the European Broadcasting Union published a list of 37 participating broadcasters, including Kan from Israel. (APA/DPA)