WATCH NOW: Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston weighs in on Eurovision protests
By Georgia Pearce
Published: 11/05/2024
Updated: 12/05/2024
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Former Eurovision star and member of Bucks Fizz, Jay Aston, has hit out at pro-Palestine protesters dominating this year's competition.
The singing contest has been faced with escalating tensions as Israel's entry Eden Golan progressed to tonight's grand final in Malmo.
Crowds of protesters have surrounded the Malmo Arena, with Swedish Police expecting demonstrations amassing 20,000 people who believe the Israel singer should not be participating as a result of the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Speaking to GB News, Aston claimed that the normally "fun and happy event" has been "hijacked by the political arena".
Discussing the competition with hosts Isabel Webster and Martin Daubney, the Making Your Mind Up singer said she "feels sorry" for Israel's Eden Golan and feared for the "booing and conflict" she will face during her performance in the grand final.
Aston told GB News: "I do feel very sorry for her, because she's 20, she's a young woman, and she'll have all of this conflict."
Expressing concern for her future career in the music industry, Aston feared the outcome of Eurovision will "tarnish her career" on a global scale.
Aston admitted: "She's going to go on stage and she'll get cheers and boos, and it will in a way tarnish her career. I'm sure she'll be very successful in her homeland, but it's just really difficult."
The Eurovision song contest has been driven by an underlying political agenda in recent years, following the war in Ukraine and the expulsion of Russia from the contest in 2022.
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Criticising the changing agenda of Eurovision, Aston blasted: "It does seem to be that Eurovision, which is meant to be a bringing together of people to just listen to music and to be a happy event, is more and more often being taken into a political arena, and it's being used for that purpose.
"We didn't realise it back in the day, but we've had a threat by the IRA. And although we knew there was some kind of problem because we had all this extra security, we were unaware of what it was."
Wishing Golan well in the competition, Aston criticised how it is "frequently hijacked" for these reasons, and hoped the night "goes well for her".
Turning the discussion to the growing protests outside the venue, the Bucks Fizz star slammed the growing demonstrations and said the escalating situation "won't change anything".
Aston said: "People are protesting outsidethey have a right to protest, but I think booing her is not going to change anything on the ground in Gaza, is it?"
This comes as Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest entry Joost Klein will not perform in the final tonight, it has been confirmed.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said in a statement: "Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final."
"While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the contest."
