‘My life is forever changed’ – Bambie Thug’s message to fans after Eurovision week

The week was not without controversy, however. Tensions surrounded Israel’s participation and, in an unprecedented move, the Dutch entrant was disqualified.

Bambie Thug criticised the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) following the contest’s conclusion, alleging that an Israeli broadcaster “incited violence” against them and breached Eurovision rules.

Cork-born Bambie Thug, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, has expressed pro-Palestine views.

“So now that I’m free I can talk about everything, right?,” they said following Saturday’s final.

“Yeah, so KAN, the broadcaster, incited violence against me twice, three times. We brought it up to the EBU. They said they would follow up.

“They waited to the last minute. We still haven’t gotten a statement back to us. They allowed us to be scapegoats, allowed us to be the spokesperson for standing up for ourselves.”

The artist said they were “so proud” of the acts that finished in the top 10 while “fighting for this s**t behind the scenes”.

They added: “I just want to say we are what Eurovision is, the EBU is not what the Eurovision is. F**k the EBU, I don’t even care any more. F**k them.”

Ahead of the final on Saturday, Bambie Thug stated in a social media post that their delegation had received confirmation that KAN commentators had “broken the rules of conduct” during the first semi-final.

“I have since seen a statement by EBU director general Noel Curran which contradicts this earlier confirmation,” they said.

They did not perform in the third dress rehearsal for the contest while discussions between the EBU and organisers over the complaint were ongoing.

In a video posted to social media yesterday, Bambie Thug thanked the fans for their support during the contest, adding that competing was an “eye-opening” experience.

They also showed support for Nemo, the winning act from Switzerland, who is also non-binary.

The pair are believed to have struck up a friendship while in Malmo, and the Irish entrant shared a video of them together during the final with the caption “Vote NBs”.

“Just a quick message to say thank you guys for all of your support throughout this process,” Bambie Thug said on Instagram.

“It has been both beautiful, incredibly challenging and eye-opening into the world of this contest and I’m so unbelievably proud of Nemo, and of all my friends.

“I love you beyond and my life is for ever changed and it’s because of your love and support. Slay, lots of love.”

Speaking at a press conference after the final, Nemo said Eurovision may need to be “fixed” following the events of last week.

“This is clearly a double standard and, as I say, I broke the code and I broke the trophy. Maybe the trophy can be fixed. Maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing too every now and then.”

Nemo became the first non-binary performer to win Eurovision and the first Swiss representative to win since 1988. They claimed they had been told not to display a non-binary flag by the contest organisers.

“I had to smuggle my flag in because Eurovision said no and I did it anyway, so I hope other people did that too.

“I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world.”

Nemo said the experience of competing in Eurovision had been “intense and not just pleasant all the way”. They felt “really sad” following the chaos of the past week.

In a week overshadowed by controversy, Dutch act Joost Klein was disqualified from the contest over allegations he had made threats to a female member of the Eurovision production team following his performance in Thursday’s semi-final.

It was the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest that an act was disqualified after qualifying for the grand final.

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros opted not to announce the result of the Netherlands’ jury vote following the disqualification.

The result of the Dutch jury vote was instead read out by the EBU’s executive supervisor of the Eurovision, Martin Osterdahl, who faced a chorus of boos during the announcement.

Last Thursday, Klein clashed with the Israeli act Eden Golan at a press conference. She was asked by a journalist whether her participation brought “risk and danger” for other contestants and the public.

After Golan was told by a moderator that she did not have to answer the question, Klein asked: “Why not?”

Golan also faced booing from the Malmo audience during her grand final performance.

The representatives due to deliver the results of the jury votes from Norway and Finland both had to be replaced after withdrawing from the show just hours before it started on Saturday.

Norwegian singer Alessandra withdrew due to the “inflamed situation” surrounding this year’s contest, while Kaarija – Finland’s Eurovision act from last year – said it “does not feel right” to announce the result.