OGAE Ireland Statement
Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l’Eurovision (OGAE) Ireland calls on the Israeli broadcaster KAN and the Israeli Eurovision delegation to abide by the constitution of the OGAE, which is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and especially respect for human rights.
These values are common to the Members of the OGAE, in a community in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and effective equality for everyone prevail.
We further call on the aforementioned parties to abide by the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, which state that participating broadcasters must ensure that all necessary measures are undertaken to safeguard the interests and the integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest and to ensure that the Eurovision Song Contest shall in no case be politicised and/or instrumentalized and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.
We express our profound disappointment of the politicisation and propagandization carried out by the Israeli broadcaster and delegation, and their violation of the Contest’s values.
President’s Statement
I didn’t boycott Eurovision when Russia was still in the Eurovision, pedalling anti-LGBT hate. I did, however, not go to Eurovision in 2019 when it was hosted in Tel Aviv.
Eurovision is an easy target for something important to LGBTQ people and I find some of the online rhetoric to be disturbing.
It is never ok to bully or threaten people under any circumstance and the abuse that the artists, in particular Bambie Thug, Olly Alexander and some fans are receiving is appalling.
Conscience is everyone’s own business. To some there are valid reasons to go, to others, there are valid reasons not to. Nobody should be abused online for deciding either way.
I support the exclusion of nations that break international law, and at the same time believe it’s important for pro Palestinian voices to be at the contest. They’re not mutually exclusive.
I believe that actions are stronger than words at times, which is why we as a club have organised a sweepstakes fundraiser, which has raised over 800 euro so far, for Doctors without Borders, specifically for Gaza this year.
Frank Dermody
President OGAE Ireland