Ireland’s Eurovision entry called Eurovision organizers “f—” and accused them of not showing support against Israel.
Self-described “ouija pop” and non-binary Bambie Thug took sixth place in the singing competition, ensuring Ireland advanced to the grand final for the first time since 2018.
Ireland received the highest score with 12 points from the Australian jury and 10 points from the UK audience as part of a total of 136 points, but were ultimately unable to catch the winner, Swiss Nemo.
Speaking at the press conference held after the final, the Irish singer said: “I am free now. I can talk about anything, right?”
Thug, who has been outspoken about his pro-Palestinian views, accused Israeli broadcaster Kan of breaking the rules.
The 31-year-old actor claims that he is waiting to hear from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on what action will be taken.
It comes after the Blood commentator covering Tuesday’s semi-final broadcast described Ireland’s bid as “frightening” and “Satanic”.
The reviewer said the performance of the song Doomsday Blue would be the “scariest” of the night and would feature “lots of spells, black magic and black outfits, Satanic symbols and voodoo dolls.”
The commentator continued: “But we can talk about that later. Prepare your curses.”
The bandit, who described himself as a “gay witch”, told reporters at the press center: “Publisher Kan used violence against me two, three times. We brought the issue to the EBU. They said they would follow up.
“They waited until the last minute, they still couldn’t get a statement from us, they allowed us to be scapegoats, they allowed us to be spokespersons to defend ourselves.
“And yes, the broadcaster didn’t follow the rules and hopefully that’s why they won’t be able to compete next year.
“And behind the scenes, you don’t know how much pressure we put in and how much effort we put into changing things, and I’m so proud that Nemo won.
“I’m so proud that we’re in the top 10 with all of us behind the scenes fighting for this. Because it was very difficult and I’m proud of us.
“I just want to say, we are Eurovision, EBU is not Eurovision, f— EBU, I don’t even care anymore. F— them.”
Thug described the experience as “stressful” and said that what makes Eurovision great is “the community behind it, the love and strength and support from all of us that creates change.”
Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated Thug on his “brilliant performance and flamboyant performance at Eurovision 2024.”
He said in a statement: “They performed with passion, stopped us and made us proud. “The applause that erupted in the stadium at the end of Ireland’s performance said it all.”
“Congratulations to Switzerland on the win, and well done to Sweden for hosting another flamboyant act. Thank you to our closest musical ally in Europe, Australia, for our only dull spots!
“For us, this is Bambie Thug’s night. Good job Bambie.”
Commenting on the BBC broadcast earlier, TV presenter Graham Norton said the singer was “hinted to be hugely successful”.
He said: “I’m not a parent, but I can warn you that younger children, seriously, may find the next performance a little scary.”
He added: “Bambie Thug is a great artist and Ireland has done a great job with the production this year which looks set to be extremely good.”
On Saturday evening, the Irish contestant took to the stage with the words “crown the witch” written on her body in the Ogham medieval script.
The singer had previously criticized Israel’s representative Eden Golan for participating in the contest.
Ahead of the final, Thug said on his Instagram story: “I have made numerous complaints to the EBU regarding the events I experienced this week.
“Earlier today they confirmed to my panel, in front of others, that Kan’s commentator had breached the code of conduct during the Eurovision semi-final.
“I have been waiting patiently to hear what action would be taken by the EBU following this breach of rules. I have since seen a statement from EBU chief executive Noel Curran contradicting this previous confirmation.
“I’m still waiting for an official update from the EBU. I hope to see you on stage this evening.”
In response, a spokesman for Kan told the PA news agency: “We wish everyone good luck tonight.”
Eurovision organizers said: “Bambie Thug did not perform in dress rehearsal three and footage of her performances in dress rehearsal two was used instead.
“They missed the dress rehearsal due to a situation currently being discussed with the EBU and song contest organisers.”
Kan and the EBU have been contacted for comment.
