Ramification | The message Eden Golan’s ‘Hurricane’ conveyed in Eurovision 2024

The twenty-year-old contestant Eden Golan from Israel came fifth in the much-discussed Eurovision 2024 last week. The 68th edition of the song contest saw the entry of Golan’s ‘Hurricane’ with lyrics that read, “Baby, promise me you’ll hold me again. I’m still broken from this hurricane. This hurricane,” in the finale. The contest is a larger-than-life affair that has previously seen winners such as Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, and ABBA. Many have described the contest as unconventional, camp and even bizarre, with over 38 countries participating from Europe and beyond, expanding to Israel and Australia.

The longest-running television show in the world has also continued with its slogan from last year, “United by Music,” in an attempt to reinstate the romanticised idea of the universality of music as a language of love and peace. Emotions relayed by musicians and music aficionados alike who have often seen themselves as above political divisions and nationalisms, espousing greater, purer human ideals.

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The small problem, however, with this dreamy self-congratulatory idea is that in 2022, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) banned Russia from the contest. In 2023, the United Kingdom hosted the competition on behalf of Ukraine. This year, too, the competition was marred by hostile political divisions over Israel’s inclusion, making Golan a target for pro-Palestine protestors. There were boycott campaigns against Golan, whose security was ramped up. The concerns over her and her team’s security were such that Ronen Bar, Director of Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, flew down himself to oversee Golan’s security arrangements.

While pro-Palestinian protestors made every effort to have Israel banned from the contest, EBU asked for Golan’s song to be changed from what was originally “October Rain” to “Hurricane” to avoid any political referencing. A change that was readily agreed to and supported by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in order for Israel to continue in the competition. Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, who seems to be active in all sorts of protests that have nothing to do with climate, landed up in Malmo, the Swedish city where the competition was held, and led over 10,000 protestors against Golan’s participation. They protested for the boycott of Israel while they held on to Palestinian flags, raising the frenzy against Golan, who is similar in age to Greta.

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While Golan was made a target by Greta, a journalist asked Golan, “Have you ever thought that being here you bring risk and danger for other participants and the public?” A question that may have been more appropriate for Greta given the circumstances.

Posters came up calling Eurovision a genocide contest, a word nowadays used flagrantly by protestors without a care for its historical context, with a simple agenda to raise the emotional pitch of whatever their grievance may be. Ironically, Malmo is one of the cities where Danish Jews arrived while fleeing the Nazis. However, it has also been reported that Malmo today has become one of Sweden’s most anti-Semitic towns, enough for travel advisories to have been issued, warning Jews from travelling in these areas because of the hostility they may have to face. Malmo largely consists of Muslim immigrants from the Middle East.

But these attacks were all in the public arena, what most did not see was what Golan endured backstage, amongst her “United by Music” co-competitors. Some yawned when Golan spoke at press conferences; some competitors wore clothes by anti-Semitic cartoonist Naji Al Ali; and others, such as Bambie Thug from Ireland, were so devastated that they cried when Golan qualified. It was clear that the Thugs and Gretas of the world came together to bully a twenty-year-old girl, simply because she represented Israel. Even during the grand finale, she was booed, crowds turned their backs on her, and a jury member even publicly admitted to not having voted for Golan because of Israel’s position on Palestine. But none of it seemed to matter, because Golan’s courage in the face of apparent hate brought to fore something that had not been seen before: the silent supporter, or as many have called them, the silent majority.

The Eurovision song competition is assessed not only by jury vote but through a combination of jury and public voting. It was the result of public voting that was truly representative of the support that Golan had garnered. The support of the true music lover, who does not need to be “United by Music” but individually loves music, the arts, and artists for what they bring to the world. The votes also told us a story of the people who were tired of the hate that is being normalised.

Israel received the maximum points from televoters in Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and in the group category called Rest of the World. Further, Israel also received a number of votes from Albania, Austria, Cyprus, Czechia, Moldova, Slovenia, and, surprisingly, Ireland. One only wonders how Bambie Thug would have taken the betrayal of her own country. She had cried when Israel qualified; this audacity must have left her devastated. To add to the woes of the Thugs of the world, Israel’s public vote tally enabled Golan to finish fifth in the competition with 323 votes, beating even Ukraine’s 307 votes.

The story of Golan’s victory is most certainly about a young girl who stood her ground, but more importantly, it is a curt message to the Thugs and Gretas who are holding the world hostage to populist agendas. The support that Golan received from the silent majority is an indicator that people are exhausted with juvenile wokeism running their lives, seizing control of independent thought. The toxicity that prevails on university campuses, offices, and cultural institutions that demands political homogeneity and social control has led to disenchantment among the masses. The result of Eurovision 2024 is a reminder that the silent majority is the balancing power that keeps the impertinent noise in check. It was a humbling lesson for those who don’t have the courage that Golan displayed.

Rami Niranjan Desai is an anthropologist and a scholar of the northeast region of India. She is a columnist and author and presently Distinguished Fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.