After getting over the initial bemusement of Iceland's entry, the backstory is quite... intense, with Eurovision supposedly apolitcal and all, lol
We Simply Must Talk About Iceland’s Stupendously Kinky, Deeply Political Eurovision Performance
by
SAM LANGFORD 15 MAY 2019
Iceland’s entrant, BDSM-inspired techno-punk band Hatari (“Hater”), certainly shook up the usually tame and family-friendly Eurovision broadcast. There was latex and leather in abundance; a member of the band spent the piece dancing inside a metal structure that was equal parts cage and bomb. The lead singers looked, in turns, like they were either on the verge of a fiery painful death, or too bored to care.
And then there were the lyrics, which translate roughly to things like “Debauchery unconstrained/hangover un-contained/life’s purposeless confusion/the void will swallow all”. Or if that’s not quite doing it for you, try verse two (“universal obfuscation unilateral execration/from gullible delusion/escape will be curtailed/the void will swallow all”).
Alright, welcome back. It’s time to talk politics. See, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been the subject of an
intense boycott due to the competition’s location in Tel Aviv, Israel. That boycott is part of the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which protests Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, and violations of Palestinians’ human rights. In particular, calls to boycott this year’s Eurovision event pointed to a particular incident last May, when the Israeli army killed 62 unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza, including children, and injured hundreds more.
In Iceland, tens of thousands of people signed a petition calling for the country to boycott Eurovision in solidarity. Iceland obviously did not do so, but Hatari appears to have delivered the next best thing: a protest. The Eurovision Song Contest rules
don’t allow political messages in songs, but the lyrics (and title) of Hate Will Prevail send a pretty pointed message given the context.
It helps that Hatari themselves have also openly criticised Eurovision in Israel. Hatari are pretty well known for
trolling and shit-stirring (they once told media they were breaking up the band because their goal of “dismantling the apparatus capitalism” had not been achieved, and “the business” of dismantling capitalism “did not meet the expectations of the board”), and they’ve brought that shit-stirring talent to Eurovision 2019.
So far, the band has challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a wrestling match, and told
The Guardian that if they win Eurovision, they will set up a liberal BDSM enclave in Israel (similar to, say, the
settlements Israel has made on Palestinian territory, in violation of international law).
Full story: Junkee