The vast majority of the German population - almost 75% of those surveyed - said that Germany should no longer take part in the ESC if Isaak fails to receive any points again

The vast majority of the German population - almost 75% of those surveyed - said that Germany should no longer take part in the ESC if Isaak fails to receive any points again. The German contribution is viewed as good by most respondents and Isaak is an excellent singer. Due to the German ESC bashing in recent years, many respondents have lost interest in the ESC. The future of Germany at the ESC will probably be decided on May 11th. It would be a big cut for the ESC - also in terms of financing - if Germany really left the ESC. It's the same every year. I come from Sweden and have spoken to many ESC fans from all over the world about German ESC bashing. ESC fans are aware of this. If this happens again this year, Germany should leave the ESC. Italy left the ESC many years ago, returned after a long time and now has excellent results. It's a shame what's happening to Germany and they don't deserve these very poor results. My family, friends and I will vote for Isaak and Germany because that's not fair at all. Let's vote for the German contribution. The German ESC bashing should be stopped!!!! We saw the German final and Isaak was one of our three favorites and he deserved a good ESC result. Best regards Linde Lund -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -- dpa Political shadow over the Eurovision Song Contest 20 hours • 3 minutes reading time In the southern Swedish city of Malmö there are concerns about security around the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Heated atmosphere and tense situation instead of joyful ESC fever and relaxed mood: In the southern Swedish city of Malmö there are concerns about security around the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). As much as the song contest emphasizes year after year that it is a “non-political event” - this year the shadow of the Gaza war cannot be kept away from the colorful show spectacle. More than 100,000 visitors are expected. “Malmö will be the focal point of Europe in the next week,” says Christer Mattsson, professor of anti-Semitism research in Gothenburg, to the German Press Agency. In this time of crisis, the world is watching Malmö for the semi-finals on May 7th and 9th and even more so for the final of the competition on May 11th. After Sweden won the ESC with Loreen last year, Malmö was chosen as the venue for 2024. This is the third time the city has hosted the event, having done so in 1992 and 2013. Dispute over Israel's participation This time, Israel's contribution faced headwinds from the start. Due to the Gaza war, many parties called for the country to be excluded from the competition. The organizer of the ESC, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), allowed Israel to take part on the grounds that it was a non-political event. At the same time, the EBU considered the first submitted text of the Israeli contribution to be too political. She saw in “October Rain” references to the massacres carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Israel on October 7th. The song by Israeli singer Eden Golan was then revised, is now called “Hurricane” and was approved. According to Israeli media, the candidate wears a dress at the shows with a top reminiscent of wound dressings. Israel's National Security Council (NSC) tightened a travel warning for the Swedish city shortly before the ESC. The risk will be upgraded from 2 (potential threat) to 3 (medium threat). Israelis planning to visit Malmö are advised to reconsider. The warning applies from May 7th to 11th. Malmö has an anti-Semitism problem Malmö has a problem with anti-Semitism, experts say. After the outbreak of war in Israel and Gaza in October, this problem became even more visible. “There were these caravans with Palestinian flags, screaming and cheering. Caravans of cars drove through the city and celebrated after the attacks,” remembers Fredrik Sieradzki from the Jewish community in Malmö. Since then there have been numerous demonstrations against Israel. Demos have also been announced on the day of the Grand Prix final itself - including both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations. Thousands of participants are expected. “The intensity will increase with the demonstrations parallel to the Eurovision Song Contest,” says Sieradzki.