No special menu, no themed decorations and no shared suspense over which musician’s flamboyant performance proves victorious.
For the first time in seven years, Silvia Diaz did not get together with friends to watch the Eurovision Song Contest finals yesterday. Their host called off their annual gathering after Spain’s public broadcaster withdrew from the festival, protesting Israel’s participation.
Diaz had said she would watch on YouTube, but only if she had no other plans.
Photo: AFP
“It’s not the same watching it alone at home as it is with friends. That’s the only thing that upsets me,” she said.
The five-day song competition drew 166 million viewers last year — considerably more than Super Bowl viewership in the US. Spain has not won since 1969; nevertheless, friends and families usually watch the final at home and bars, and their contestant’s performance dominates the day-after headlines. Spaniards at the event wave the country’s flag, wear red clothing or don the occasional bullfighter costume.
Spain announced its boycott in December last year, after the European Broadcasting Union said Israel would be allowed to compete, and has been joined by Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland. Some Spanish fans respect the choice to take a stand by sitting out the cherished event, even if it is bittersweet.
Spain’s broadcaster has repeatedly expressed disapproval over Israel’s participation. In last year’s semifinals, RTVE’s commentators introduced Israel’s singer in the same breath as they mentioned Palestinians killed in the war. Before airing the final, the network transmitted the message “Peace and justice for Palestine” on a black background to hundreds of thousands of Spanish televisions.
RTVE was to air a tribute to the network’s musical history at the same time as Eurovision’s finals, featuring a performance by Tony Grox and Lucycalys, the musicians who would have represented Spain at the event.
Ireland’s public broadcaster was to air a film about one couple’s life in the Irish countryside. Slovenians were to be shown an episode of a 10-part program about Palestinians.
Eurovision was available on the European Broadcasting Union’s YouTube channel, but the lack of a performer or commentator from their own country rendered the vibe decidedly less passionate.
Among Spain’s Eurovision fans, this year’s boycott has supporters and detractors.
For Rebeca Carril, the turning point came a few years ago with the influx of Israeli sponsors.
She said she did not want to support their marketing efforts by tuning in.
“I have Palestinian friends and I began to understand a little better how things worked,” Carril said.
For others, such as Guillermina Bastida, music and politics should be separate. She drove for days from northern Spain in a van with her two daughters to last year’s competition in Basel, her third time attending. This year, she would settle for YouTube.
“It’s a song festival, period,” Bastida said. “I also have my own stance, which is critical, but not to the point of boycotting the festival.”
Spain is one of the so-called “Big Five” countries that contribute the most financially to Eurovision.
In addition to missing out on big bucks for broadcasting rights, Eurovision is losing publicity and credibility, said Jose Garcia, codirector of a Web site that provides news about the competition.
On the streets of Vienna, the lack of Spaniards was noticeable, Vicente Rico said after attending the first night of the semifinals.
Rico said he had been torn before embarking on his annual pilgrimage, because he believes the boycott is morally right.
“I think Finland is going to win, but the support for Italy is crazy,” he said, given Spain’s absence.
If Sweden, Serbia or Australia prevails, he would return to Spain happy, Rico said, adding: “This year, we’re rooting for everyone except Israel.”
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