Eurovision fans’ glorious f-you to the Israel haters

So Austria edged out Israel to win last night’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland. Amid a resurgence of anti-Semitism among the cultural set, one might be tempted to reach for some crude historical references – given Basel was the birthplace of the modern Zionist movement, the venue for the First Zionist Congress in 1897, and Austria was the birthplace of, well, Hitler. But where the Jews and the Jewish State are concerned, last night’s grand final was a moment of triumph, even if contestant Yuval Raphael didn’t quite make it over the line.

In the run-up to this year’s Eurovision, there was all the usual frothing agitation, demanding the Jewish State be banned from the competition because of the ‘genocide’ activists insist Israel is committing in Gaza. Seemingly, they have no idea what genocide actually means and have forgotten that Hamas started this war when it butchered 1,200 people in Israel on 7 October 2023, targeting civilians for murder, rape and torture. That 24-year-old Raphael is a survivor of 7 October – indeed, the last major music event she attended before last night was the Nova festival – hasn’t dimmed their zealotry.

All the usual suspects dusted off their old open letters. They claim this is about the war, even though they’ve been calling for a boycott for decades. That Eurovision is organised by broadcasters, not by governments, never seems to phase them. It seems that all Israelis must be held accountable for the alleged misdeeds of their government – particularly for having the gall to defend itself and its people from genocidal Islamists.

On the night, ‘pro-Palestine’ protesters clashed with police on the streets of Basel. Because nothing says ‘I’m not anti-Semitic’ like forming a mob to rage against a young Jewish woman being allowed to sing in your city. Inside the arena, as Raphael performed her ballad, ‘New Day Will Rise’, two fuckwits from ‘Youth Demand’ tried to storm the stage and throw red paint in the direction of a woman who, only a few years ago, was having to play dead under a pile of bodies to ensure a marauding gang of Jew-hating pogromists didn’t murder her, too. This is what Israelophobia does to people’s moral compass.

But then came the results. And they were delicious. While Israel ultimately lost out to Austria’s operatic entry, ‘Wasted Love’ by JJ, Raphael cruised into second place off the back of the audience vote, which she won handily. Brits gave her the maximum of 12 points, along with more than a dozen other countries. Even viewers in Ireland – whose national broadcaster threw a hissy fit over Israel’s inclusion this year – gave Israel 10 points. Not for the first time in Europe of late, a secret ballot has given Europeans a chance to disappoint their cultural betters. And they grabbed it with both hands.

Whether Eurovision fans wanted to express their solidarity with Israel or just liked the song, it’s clear ordinary people are refusing to go along with the idea that the Jewish State is a uniquely evil, irredeemable pariah whose citizens must be shunned and demonised at every opportunity. They know bigotry when they see it. And they are having none of it. We can only hope this silent majority will grow a little more vocal. Then we might have a shot at confronting the new Jew hatred that risks dragging Europe back to a truly dark past.

Tom Slater is editor of spiked. Follow him on X: @Tom_Slater