Another Eurovision Song Contest has wrapped this Saturday. The artist Nemo, with the song The Code, is bringing the trophy back to Switzerland. Congratulations to them and the Swiss! As always, the contest wasn’t just about music: there were plenty of laughs, reactions, and memes this past week.
We’ve collected the funniest pics that perfectly summarize what the 2024 Eurovision was all about. From roasting the songs, the costumes, and the lyrics to everyone still being baffled as to what the heck Australia was doing there – Eurovision fans had something to say about all aspects of the contest.
And what about you, Pandas? Did you watch Eurovision this year? And which performer did you root for? Let us know your opinions in the comments, and don’t forget to upvote your favorite reactions!
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In a post-win bliss, Nemo accidentally broke the trophy (and their thumb!) on stage. But not to worry – he got a brand-new one later, so now, he technically has two. The contestant who was extremely close to winning was Croatia's artist Baby Lasagna, who came in second. Ukraine, France, and Israel were in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
This year's winner Nemo, who identifies as non-binary and prefers they/them pronouns, competed with a song that was about their journey of realizing they're non-binary. After their win, Nemo expressed several times how important the fight for non-binary people is for them. They have even called out the Swiss government for not recognizing a third gender. During the press conference after their win, when asked who was the first person they'd wish to call, they said that it would be the president of Switzerland.
"In Switzerland, there's no entry for a third gender, and I think that's absolutely unacceptable, and we have to change that. I think we need to have representation in our politics as well. And it's really important that people feel seen and that we move forward like other countries do as well. So I think I would schedule a call with him."
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The non-binary community in Switzerland is delighted by Nemo's win. The managing director of Transgender Network Switzerland, Sandro Niederer, told Swiss Info that Nemo's victory is very, very symbolic. Aside from bringing more attention to the discourse for and about the equality for non-binary people, "the fact that this is becoming visible is very valuable for our community," Niederer claims.
Even before the grand final on Saturday, Nemo expressed how grateful they were for the love and attention their song was receiving. "Knowing they like a song where I am, like, unconditionally myself, and I talk about the journey of finding myself and being non-binary and knowing that it touches them... it's really beautiful," the performer told AP News.
"Just being able to represent this community at Eurovision is amazing. And I'm so glad that I am not even the only one this year. You know, like that's even better because it just, it just shows that it's needed."
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The other non-binary contestant this year was Bambie Thug, the representative for Ireland. They brought home another kind of win for their country – the artist came sixth in the grand final, marking Ireland's highest place since 2000.
Bambie Thug was also very outspoken about the Israel-Palestine conflict. During the semi-final, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) apparently prohibited them from going on stage wearing body paint with the words 'ceasefire' and 'freedom for Palestine' in Ogham script.
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The Israel-Palestine conflict hung in the air in Malmo throughout the entire week of Eurovision. Thousands of protesters gathered in the central square on the day of the final to protest Israel's participation in the contest. "Here in Malmo a lot of people are from Palestine and many of their families are getting hurt [in Gaza and Palestine] and they just feel angry about the situation and how the Swedish government and the city has handled this situation," one of the protesters told Al Jazeera.
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Videos from the crowd showed the audience booing Israel's entrant Eden Golan during her performance. Apparently, she got booed during rehearsals earlier in the week, and some people reported hearing cries of "Free Palestine!". Despite that, the performance received second place by televoters. Many people blamed the EBU for allowing Israel to participate in the contest at all. Martin Österdahl, the executive supervisor of the European Broadcasting Union, was booed when he spoke during the broadcast as well.
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Perhaps the most controversial decision by the EBU was to disqualify the Netherlands after their entrant allegedly made "a threatening movement" towards a camerawoman. According to a statement from the Dutch broadcaster AvroTros, the artist apparently indicated that he wished not to be filmed, and the camerawoman didn't respect his wishes. They called the disqualification "very heavy and disproportionate" and lamented the disappointment this will have to Joost's fans.
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Eurovision is becoming an increasingly safe space for LBTQ+ artists. Lithuania, for example, sent its first bisexual performer, Silvester Belt, to represent them in the contest. And while Belt doesn't want to be the poster child for LBTQ+ rights in Lithuania, he acknowledges that his being in the competition is a win for the community.
"I feel like it is a big thing for the rest of us. If I had someone like that growing up, I feel like it would have helped me not feel so sh*t,” he told Pink News. “At least it will bring up a discussion about it."
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The Lithuanian entrant was part of a sort of "LBTQ+ gang" of this year's Eurovision. Its members included the UK's Olly Alexander, Ireland's Bambie Thug, and the now-winner Nemo.
Speaking of the UK, they can't seem to shake off the Eurovision curse of last places and null points, can they? This year's entrant, Olly Alexander with the song Dizzy, apparently got no points from the televoters and came in at 18th place. This loss sparked countless memes about how the UK never seems to do well in the contest.
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This comes as a huge disappointment for many UK Eurovision fans because this year, the UK was represented by an already-established pop star, Olly Alexander. Dizzy is the first release under his own name, as he previously released music under the British synthpop band Years & Years. The band has headlined arenas and festivals and collaborated with artists like The Pet Shop Boys and Elton John, so the UK fans put a lot of hope in a possible win. Or a higher placement, at least.
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Although this year's contest was marked by its own fair share of controversies, (disqualified contestants, pro-Palestine protesters outside the arena throughout the whole week, and artists getting into conflicts with the media teams of other delegations), let's, at least for a minute, laugh at all the memorable moments it presented us with this year. Whose performance did you like the most? And what do you think about Nemo’s win? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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