Ethical Vision Entertainment

Better than the hypocritical Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest has usually been a cheesy crapfest watched ironically while pissed. However, this year controversy mires Eurovision and the spineless BBC that are broadcasting it, as Israel was allowed to compete again despite its ongoing illegal occupations, apartheid system, and ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

Many groups have been campaigning to remove Israel from the competition, leading to protests around the globe, and a widespread boycott of the Eurovision in 2024. Over 140,000 people signed a petition to exclude Israel (petition predictably ignored by the Eurovision organisers).

• Sweden braces for a Eurovision like no other

Eurovision say they are “non political”. However, that’s obviously an outright lie after they rejected Russia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And they are allowing Israel to stay in the competition. Hello? If war crimes got Russia expelled, why do you make an exception for Israel to murder, torture and steal? Either countries engaging in atrocious acts get banned, or they get included. Don’t give Get Our Of Jail free cards to some criminals but not others. And note that Eurovision has always excluded Palestine from entering, but welcomed Israel, a Western colony established on land stolen from the Palestinians.

In the UK, the BBC will be showing the competition as usual and various venues are hosting Eurovision screenings and parties. In airing the Eurovision song contest this year the BBC is complicit in the art-washing of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, as well as biased and harmful reporting on the genocide.

All along the BBC have betrayed their role as government propaganda tool rather than reporters. The BBC’s disengagement from Palestinian suffering and disregard for Palestinian human rights and lives is a textbook case of the powerful having control of the narrative by purposefully obscuring history and context. It’s one of the ways the establishment media tries to tell us up is down and black is white, peace is violence and government terrorism is peace.

• CNN Finally Tells The Truth About The Flour Massacre After Previously Shilling For Israel (Caitlin Johnstone)

• Why the media have failed Gaza (Jonathan Cook)

• Without Extensive Narrative Manipulation, None Of This Would Be Consented To (Caitlin Johnstone)

• The Nation’s Conscience (Chris Hedges)

Anyway, that’s enough about the shit-show that is the Eurovision and the BBC.

FalastinVision

This Saturday, as Eurovision whitewashes genocide on the global stage, a group of activists are holding a genocide-free song contest celebrating Palestinian culture and art. Palestinian artists like Bashar Murad will be performing, and several other artists from around the world are competing to win the final FalastinVision award. It makes the perfect alternative to the Eurovision hypocrisy.

When? Saturday May 11th at 8pm CET (same time as the final Eurovision contest).

Where? Via the livestream, here.

If you plan to watch FalastinVision instead of Eurovision, RSVP to the Facebook event, and share this with friends and family.

It’s a free event where you get entertained, learn about other cultures, but also get to protest against Israel's crimes and stand with Palestine. Sounds like a lot of good outcomes.

Some Of My Favourites

Some of my friends are running their own event on Saturday, with live music, poetry, singing, and Palestinian songs. I’ve started listening to music from (or about) that region, so here are some of the songs by talented modern artists that I am listening to at the moment.

Dam is a wonderful Palestinian hip-hop group:

47Soul are also Palestinian, and make catchy music:

Ettijah is an all-girl hip-hop collective from Dheisheh that raps about the daily struggles of Palestinian teen. Find out more about them here.

Lowkey is a British rapper with a conscience:

TootArd are a funky pop band from a part of Syria that Israel illegally occupied in 1967 (I guess it wasn’t enough to steal land from Palestinians); Israel still holds this stolen land, against international law. Here’s TootArd:

A new addition: Macklemore and his Hind’s Hall. The most Rage Against The Machine song since Rage Against The Machine! I hope this gets to #1. We need more protests, not complacency.

Promoted by Karl Drinkwater (Green Party) at The Gate, Keppoch Street, Cardiff CF24 3JW.
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