Channel One, the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and Ostankino Radio House reacted to the removal of Russia from participating in the Eurovision 2022 music contest. This is reported Interfax with reference to the joint statement of the companies.
As a response, they decided to suspend their membership in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The statement notes that the decision to remove Russia is regarded as “an inappropriate political sacrifice at a music forum that has always emphasized its non-political status.”
The authors of the appeal recalled the contest in 2016, when the song of the Ukrainian singer Jamala “1944”, “which is an open political manifesto”, won. However, in 2021 the organizers rejected the song “I’ll teach you” by the Belarusian group Galasy Zmesta, citing politics.
Earlier, the EBU explained that the decision to remove Russia was made against the backdrop of “an unprecedented crisis in Ukraine” and concerns that “the inclusion of this year’s Russian candidates will damage the reputation of the competition.”
On February 24, Sweden called on the EBU to reconsider the issue of Russia’s participation in Eurovision. Finland later announced that it would withdraw from the contest if Russian candidates were to participate.
Eurovision 2022 will be held in Turin. Italy won the right to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 after the victory of the rock band Måneskin with the song Zitti E Buoni in May 2021 in Rotterdam.
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