There is to be a fair play pledge at the ESC in Basel
Published: Tuesday, Dec 10th 2024, 17:30
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The ESC in Malmö was overshadowed by tensions, chaos and demonstrations. This is set to change in Basel next year. The model takes its cue from the Olympic Games.
Following the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 in Malmö, which was overshadowed by anti-Israeli protests, stricter rules are to apply in Basel in 2025. Participants should commit to fair behavior, similar to athletes taking the Olympic oath, says the chairman of the ESC supervisory committee, Bakel Walden, to the German Press Agency.
ESC wants neutrality
Negative behavior is not tolerated, and there are warnings or access restrictions for violations. "There are areas where freedom of expression has limits, especially when it affects other people," says Walden, drawing another comparison to the Olympic Games: Neutrality prevails at the ESC. If participants flaunt their beliefs, "some on one side, others on the other, then the ESC simply won't work in three to five years' time," he said.
The mood at the ESC in Malmö had been clouded by demonstrations against Israel's participation, among other things - but there had also been hostility, critical gestures and spikes from the participants against the Israeli performer and her country.
Walden, who comes from Germany and was a media manager at SRG until the end of October, cites the fact that too much politicization was allowed as a mistake. "There were a lot of statements on stage or symbols and signs. That inflamed the situation to a certain extent."
In addition to the voluntary commitment to fair play, there will be a code of conduct in Basel, which the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union EBU, has now published in Geneva. All those wishing to take part must agree to this, including delegation members and journalists as well as artists. In addition, there will be retreat zones for singers where filming is not permitted and there will be fewer public rehearsals, said Walden.
Due diligence obligations
Another innovation is a booklet with due diligence obligations for the delegations, for example with regard to the artists' social media presence. "That you take a look at what the person used to do? Maybe a few tweets from five or ten years ago haven't aged so well." This should be discussed beforehand in order to have answers in case of follow-up questions.
As far as the warnings are concerned, there are no "ESC police" sitting in front of surveillance cameras, as Walden says. "We don't claim to be able to control everything down to the last detail. Of course we don't look the other way. If there are things that we notice, then we react to them."
The ESC final will take place on May 17 in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
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