Picture credits: © Pedro Pina – RTP Controversy after controversy, right up to the end. That’s how the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 unfolded, extending beyond the music, and Portugal also has a situation to examine… so much so that RTP, Portuguese public broadcaster, is not ruling out filing a formal protest.
In yesterday’s grand final, the video of iolanda’s performance was only published on the official YouTube channel of the contest more than an hour after the performance. This significant delay stands out compared to the other performances. The artist performed with makeup that may be allusive to Palestinian women and made a plea for peace at the end of the performance, so it is not excluded that the delay was deliberate.
According to the Observador website, Nicolau Santos, the chairman of the Board of Directors of RTP, stated that at the moment, the public broadcaster is trying to “understand what happened”, and whether this delay was due to “technical reasons or any other reason”.
For now, the official clarified that there is no “information” that “allows to say whether there was any deliberate action for this to happen or not”. However, if there is evidence of discrimination, he made a guarantee: “Of course, we will file a formal protest”.
In any case, Nicolau Santos immediately criticized the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the ESC, due to the rumor about the use of a system to suppress boos using fake applause sounds: “For an organization like the EBU, and for an organization like RTP and the European public media service that has as its flagship the fight against fake news, misinformation, manipulation of information, it is unacceptable that the use of a method that alters reality is possible”.
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