by Ireland’s Eurovision entrant has told Eurovision organizers to “f—” you, accusing them of not supporting Israel outright.
Self-described “ouija pop” star Bambie Thug, who is non-binary, took sixth place in the song contest, Ireland’s first appearance in the final since 2018.
Ireland attracted the main allotment of 12 points from the Australian jury, as well as 10 from the UK audience, for a total score of 136, but ultimately failed to catch the eventual winner, Switzerland’s Nemo.
Speaking at a press conference after the final, the Irish singer said: “So now I’m free. I can talk about everything right?”
Thug, who was outspoken about his pro-Palestinian views, accused Israeli broadcaster Kan of breaking the rules.
The 31-year-old claims he is waiting to hear back from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on what action to take.
It comes after Kan’s commentator covering Tuesday’s semi-final broadcast described Ireland’s bid as “scary” and “Satanic”.
The commentator said that the performance of the song Doomsday Blue would be “the scariest” of the night, featuring “lots of spells and black magic and dark clothes, Satanic symbols, and voodoo dolls”.
The commentator continued: “But we can talk about that later. Prepare for curses.”
Thug, who identifies as a “queer girl” told journalists in the press center: “Kan, the broadcaster, incited violence against me twice, three times. We took it up to the EBU. They said they would follow up.
“They waited until the last minute, we have not received a statement back to us yet, they allowed us to be scapegoats, they allowed us to be the spokesperson to stand up for ourselves.
“And yes, the broadcaster did not comply with the rules and I hope that next year they will not be able to compete because of that.
“And behind the scenes you don’t know how much pressure and how much work we’re doing to turn things around and I’m so proud of Nemo for getting the win.
“I’m so proud that we’re all in the top 10 fighting for this s— in the background. Because it was so hard and I am so proud of us.
“I want to say that Eurovision is us, the EBU is not the Eurovision, f— the EBU, I don’t care anymore. F— them.”
Thug called the experience “stressful” and said that the biggest thing about Eurovision is “the community behind it, the love and the power and the support that we all bring that is making a difference”.
Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated Thug on “a fantastic performance and a tour de force at Eurovision 2024”.
He said in a statement: “They performed with passion, stopped us in our tracks and did us proud. The eruption of applause in the stadium at the end of Ireland’s performance spoke for itself.”
“Congratulations to Switzerland for the win and well done to Sweden for hosting another great display. Thanks to our closest musical ally in Europe – Australia – for our one douze points!
“It’s Bambie Thug night as far as we’re concerned. Good on you Bambi.”
Earlier, TV presenter Graham Norton, who was providing commentary for the BBC’s coverage, said the singer had “done very well”.
He said: “I’m not a parent, but I might warn you that younger kids, that is, the next performance might be a little scary.”
He added: “Bambie Thug, a top performer and Ireland have done a really good job of performing this year and hopefully this will go very well.”
On Saturday evening, the Irish entrant came on stage with the words “crown the witch”, in medieval Ogham script, on their body.
The singer was previously critical of Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, who competed in the competition.
Ahead of the final, Thug said in an Instagram story: “I’ve made multiple complaints to the EBU regarding situations I’ve had this week.
“Earlier today they confirmed to my delegation in front of others that Kan’s commentator breached the rules of conduct during the Eurovision semi-final.
“I am patiently waiting to hear what the EBU will do after this break in rules. I have since seen a statement from EBU director general Noel Curran which contradicts this earlier assertion.
“I am still waiting for an official update from the EBU. I hope to see you on stage tonight.”
In response, a spokesman for Kan told the PA news agency: “We wish everyone the best of luck tonight.”
Eurovision organizers said: “Bambie Thug did not perform in dress rehearsal three and the footage of her performance in dress rehearsal two was used instead.
“They missed the dress rehearsal due to a situation that is currently being discussed with the EBU and the organizers of the song competition.”
Kan and the EBU have been contacted for comment.
