Bambie Thug from Ireland enters the stage during the opening ceremony of The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Grand Final at Malmö Arena on May 11, 2024 (Getty)
Irish Eurovision entrant Bambie Thug, who came sixth in last night’s Grand Final, has furiously hit out at the European Broadcasting Union in a heated statement following the 2024 event, saying: “F**k the EBU”.
Eurovision 2024 has been overshadowed by multiple controversies. Netherlands entry Joost Klein – who was to perform the song “Europapa” in the final, was disqualified at the last minute due to what the EBU described as an “incident with a female member of the production crew backstage”.
The decision to allow Israel to perform in this year’s contest as also met with protests and calls for the event to be boycotted, due to the country’s ongoing involvement in the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier this year, around 450 queer artists and organisations, including Pose actress Indya Moore and Shameless star Maxine Peake, joined Queers for Palestine in calling for the UK’s entrant Olly Alexander to drop out of the contest. In a letter addressing the star, the group wrote: “There can be no party with a state committing apartheid and genocide.”
Olly Alexander, who came 18th in Eurovision 2024 with his song “Dizzy”, called the comments that he is somehow complicit in a genocide by participating in the song contest “extreme”.
“I understand where that sentiment is coming from but I think it’s not correct. It’s an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on,” he added.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug has been more outspoken on the issue, and reportedly clashed with the EBU during the run up to the Grand Final due to their support for Palestine.
On 8 May, following the first semi-final, Bambie Thug – who is non-binary – claimed that the European Broadcasting Union made them remove messages in solidarity with Palestine shortly before their performance.
According to reports, Bambie Thug had been seen in rehearsals sporting a face tattoo that read ‘Ceasefire’ in the ancient Celtic alphabet Ogham, in reference to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a video posted to X account @wiwibloggs of a press conference, Bambie Thug “confirmed that the EBU required them to remove the words ‘Freedom for Palestine’ and ‘Ceasefire’ from their costume” ahead of the performance.
“It was very important for me [to have these messages on my costume], because I am pro-justice and pro-peace,” Bambie Thug said in the video.
Fellow non-binary artist Nemo went on to win Eurovision 2024 for Switzerland with their song “The Code”.
“The queers are coming, non-binaries for the f**king win”
The singer, who was one of many LGBTQ+ acts at this year’s song contest, has now gone on to claim that the Israeli broadcaster KAN disobeyed the rules of the contest, and that this had been brought to the EBU’s attention, reports the Irish Independent.
“So now that I am free I can talk about everything right? KAN, the broadcaster, incited violence against me twice, three times,” Bambie Thug said after the final on Saturday night (11 May).
“We brought it up to the EBU, they said they’d follow up. They waited until the last minute, we still haven’t got a statement back. (The EBU) allowed us to be scapegoats, allowed us to be the spokesperson for standing up for ourselves. That broadcaster has disobeyed the rules and I hope next year they won’t be allowed to compete because of that.”
“Behind the scenes you don’t know the amount of pressure and the amount of work that we have been doing to change things and I’m so proud of Nemo for winning,” they said, referring to the Swiss entrant.
“I’m so proud of all of us in the top 10 that have been fighting for this s**t behind the scenes because it has been so hard, it has been so horrible for us and I’m so proud of us.”
“I just want to say we are what the Eurovision is. The EBU is not what the Eurovision is. F**k the EBU, I don’t even care anymore. F**k them,” they added.
“The thing that makes us contestants, the community behind it, the love and the power and the support of all of us is what’s making change. The world has spoken, the queers are coming, non-binaries for the f**king win, and I am so proud.”
PinkNews has contacted the EBU’s press office for a statement.