Boy George has defended himself after facing backlash around his involvement in Eurovision, which has become hugely controversial.
In a first in the competition’s history, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland announced they are set to boycott if Israel takes part.
The boycott stems from Israel’s attack on Palestine, which has been declared a genocide by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided Israel would be allowed to take part, with this year’s competition held in Vienna, Austria.
Recently, Boy George attracted criticism when it was revealed he will represent San Marino, teaming up with Italian singer Senhit.
Speaking at the London Eurovision Party, he said: ‘I have many, many Jewish friends that I’ve had since I was 15 or 16 years old.’
The Culture Club singer continued: ‘Are people asking me as a principled human being to turn my back on my Jewish friends? It’s not going to happen, it’s never going to happen.
‘From the beginning of my career, I wore a Jewish star. Go back and look at pictures of Culture Club. I am so affiliated with Jewish people.’
When it came to Israel, he said he is ‘not necessarily affiliated’ with the country so didn’t ‘really have an opinion on that’.
However, he did previously sign a letter of support for Israel’s continued inclusion in Eurovision, along with Dame Helen Mirren, Mila Kunis, Gene Simmons and Sharon Osbourne.
The open letter, which was published last Wednesday, referenced the October 7 attacks, saying the country was simply ‘responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust’.
1,195 people died in the attacks orchestrated by Hamas, including both Israelis and non-Israelis attending the Nova festival.
In the two years following, Israel’s military action against Palestine has resulted in over 67,075 deaths, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The letter continued: ‘This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started. To punish Israel would be an inversion of justice.’
Doubling down on his decision to appear at Eurovision, Boy George added: ‘The job of music is to unite people.’
He said he hoped Ireland, his mother’s ‘home country’, would not be ‘too angry’ at him, since broadcaster RTE pulled out of the competition.
The broadcaster said that ‘participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.’
In 2022, Russia was removed from Eurovision following the invasion of Ukraine, who went on to win the competition. The following year, the UK hosted as Sam Ryder came in second.
This year, Look Mum No Computer is participating on behalf of the UK with the experimental track Eins, Zwei, Drei.
It’s the first time ever in the contest’s 70-year run that the UK’s song is not sung entirely in English, with the chorus sung in German.
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