Latest news with #JohannesPietsch
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Austria's Eurovision winner wants 2026 edition ‘without Zionist entity'
Austrian singer Johannes Pietsch aka JJ, winner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, reacts as he gives an interview after a press conference at the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria on May 19, 2025. --AFP This year's Eurovision Song Contest winner Austrian singer JJ called for the Zionist entity to be excluded from next year's competition in an interview published Thursday. He also expressed regret over Zionist entity 's participation in this year's competition despite the war in Gaza. Eurovision has faced criticism for allowing Zionist entity to participate in the contest despite the devastating Gaza war. This year, pro-Palestinian activists staged protests during the extravaganza in Switzerland over the weekend. Russia has not been allowed to participate in Eurovision since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 'It is very disappointing to see that Zionist entity continues to participate in the contest,' the 24-year-old countertenor told Spanish daily El Pais in an interview. 'I would like next year's Eurovision to take place in Vienna without Zionist entity,' he added. 'But the ball is in the court' of the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), he said. 'We, the artists, can only express our views on the subject.' JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, also called for 'greater transparency' regarding the public vote, after Zionist singer Yuval Raphael was propelled into second place. 'This year, everything happened in a very strange way,' said JJ. The singer faced a backlash over his comments in Austria, one of Zionist entity 's staunchest supporters in Europe. The country's public broadcaster ORF distanced itself from his remarks, saying they 'reflected a personal opinion', APA news agency reported. JJ said he was 'sorry if his comments had been misinterpreted' via his record label Warner. On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the most outspoken critics of the Zionist government, said Zionist entity should be excluded from Eurovision. He expressed his solidarity with 'the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment'. 'What we cannot allow is double standards in culture,' Sanchez said in reference to Russia's ban. Zionist entity has come under massive international pressure to abandon its intensified military campaign in Gaza and allow urgent humanitarian aid into the besieged strip. — AFP
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Could Eurovision 2026 go on without Israel?
According to The Guardian, Austria's 24-year-old Eurovision winner, Johannes Pietsch, better known by his stage name JJ, has ignited a political firestorm after calling for Israel to be excluded from next year's song contest in Vienna. "It is very disappointing to see that Israel continues to participate in the contest," JJ told Spanish outlet El País in a post-victory interview. "I would like next year's Eurovision to take place in Vienna without Israel." The singer's comments come amid mounting global scrutiny over Israel's brutal aggression against Gaza. Despite widespread protests and activist pressure during this year's contest in Switzerland, Israel competed with Yuval Raphael's entry New Day Will Rise, which placed second after a surge in public voting. JJ questioned the transparency of that vote, noting the Israeli artist's sudden leap in points. "This year, everything happened in a very strange way," he said. He also demanded "greater transparency" in the Eurovision voting process and questioned whether the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was applying its rules consistently. "The ball is in the court of the organisers," JJ acknowledged. "We, the artists, can only express our views on the subject." His remarks triggered a swift response from Austria's national broadcaster ORF, which moved to distance itself from the controversy, emphasising that JJ's views "reflected a personal opinion." Through his label Warner, the singer later added he was "sorry if his comments had been misinterpreted." Still, JJ's stance has struck a chord beyond Austria. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of Europe's most vocal critics of Israeli policy, also called for Israel's exclusion from Eurovision, citing cultural "double standards." In 2022, Russia was banned from Eurovision following its war with Ukraine. "What we cannot allow are double standards in culture," Sánchez said on Monday, referencing Russia's continued ban from the contest. As calls grow for the EBU to reassess its position, pressure is mounting to ensure that Eurovision, a contest that claims to celebrate unity and peace, does not become, as critics fear, a stage for selective solidarity. Whether the EBU will act on JJ's plea remains to be seen. As Israel's military aggression in Gaza continues unabated, over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed and 122,382 injured to date, according to Al Jazeera. In response to this worsening humanitarian crisis, artists and audiences alike are asking difficult questions about complicity, cultural diplomacy, and what Eurovision truly stands for.
Extra.ie
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Eurovision winner JJ says he hopes next year's contest will take place without Israel
This year's Eurovision winner, JJ, says he would like next year's competition to take place without Israel. 'It's very disappointing… I would like Eurovision to be held in Vienna next year, without Israel. But the ball is in the EBU's court. We, the artists, can only speak out on the matter,' said the Austrian artist to Spanish newspaper El País. The 24-year-old singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, claimed victory at the song contest with the song 'Wasted Love.' In a tightly contested final, Pietsch finished just ahead of Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 attacks. Her song 'New Day Will Rise' received the most public votes. 'There should be greater transparency regarding the [public vote]. This year, everything was very strange about it,' said Pietsch. His remarks echo growing concern among several national broadcasters. Spain's national broadcaster RTVE has requested a full audit of the voting system, with Ireland and Finland also expressing support for a review. Belgium's VRT has threatened to withdraw from the contest if concerns go unaddressed. The director of Eurovision, Martin Green, made a statement this week calling the contest's voting system 'the most advanced in the world'. Pietsch, who is queer, also told El Pas he attempted to bring an LGBTQ+ flag on stage during his final performance, but 'the organisers caught [him] at the last minute.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eurovison winner calls for Israel to be banned from next song contest
The winner of last week's Eurovision has called for Israel to be barred from competing in the song contest next year. JJ, the Austrian singer who won the competition in Switzerland with his song Wasted Love, said the country should not perform amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The 24-year-old operatic singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais: 'It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. 'I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel.' It comes as the competition, supposed to be apolitical, faced another year of controversy over Israel's involvement given the continuing military campaign in neighbouring Gaza. Israel's Eurovision contestant, Yuval Raphael, finished in second place after securing a large margin of the public vote. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organiser of the contest, has been facing accusations of voter manipulation in favour of Israel from various national broadcasters, including the Spanish and Belgian representatives. Elsewhere, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, also called for Israel's exclusion from competing in the future. Ms Raphael, 24, a survivor of the Hamas assault on the Nova music festival on Oct 7 2023, was disrupted in her final performance in Basel by pro-Palestinian protesters who tried to storm the stage. She ended up scoring 357 points for her song New Day Will Rise after admitting that she had prepared to perform with booing onstage following similar treatment of Eden Golan, the Israeli contestant last year. Credit: Youth Demand Her result has caused increased scrutiny of the Eurovision voting system, in which entrants receive points from a professional jury from each country, as well as from a public vote. The maximum amount of points from any country's jury or the public is 12. Many countries awarded Israel the maximum 'douze points' for the public vote, despite their professional juries giving the country zero points. Viewers at home can vote up to 20 times for a small cost charged to each vote by text or phone call. Austria's JJ said the vote-counting system should be revised to improve transparency, echoing calls from various broadcasters to the EBU. Katia Segers, a Flemish parliamentarian, said: 'A system in which everyone can cast up to 20 votes is a system that encourages manipulation. Whether this manipulation occurred in our country and all other participating and non-participating countries must be investigated.' In response to the claims, Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, said: 'It is important to emphasise that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country's result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns. 'An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result.' He added: 'We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest and take their concerns seriously.' JJ's remarks followed protests calling for a boycott of the competition as well as an open letter published a week before the contest, which featured more than 70 previous Eurovision contestants calling on the organisers to ban Israel and its broadcaster KAN. During last Saturday's grand finale, the Spanish broadcaster RTVE also came under fire after it took a stand against Israel's inclusion. For 16 seconds, Spanish viewers saw a black screen with white lettering in Spanish and English that read: 'When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Journal
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Eurovision winner hopes Israel won't compete next year
THIS YEAR'S WINNER of the Eurovision song contest has said that he would like next year's competition to go ahead in Austria 'without Israel'. Johannes Pietsch, 24, from Austria, yesterday said in an interview with the Spanish outlet El Pais, that it is 'very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the competition.' Pietsch, who narrowly beat out Israel's entrant for the win, also called for 'greater transparency' regarding the televoting element of the judging process, saying that this year 'everything was very strange about it', after Israel dominated the public vote. The Spanish Eurovision delegation has requested an audit of the televoting process, and the Belgian broadcaster VRT has threatened to pull out of the competition if the matter is not clarified by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). Pietsch, who is queer, also said that he tried to 'sneak' an LGBTQ+ flag onto the stage during the final for his performance of 'Wasted Love', but that the organisers 'caught' him at the last minute. 'We artists can only raise our voices,' Pietsch further said. Advertisement Israel's entry, 'New Day Will Rise', sung by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October attacks, came second, but came first in audience voting. Ireland has joined in Spain's call for a review of the Eurovision voting process, alongside Finland, and the Netherlands. There has been criticism of the fact that an audience member watching from home can cast up to 20 votes. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision. Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, made a statement this week about the integrity of the voting system, calling it 'the most advanced in the world'. Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
