In a controversial decision, the ARD – one of Germany’s public broadcasters and part of the ARD – named the singer as Germany’s contestant, with the public set to vote on which one of six songs he would sing.
Now the broadcaster is backtracking and announced earlier today (21 November) that Naidoo will not be Germany’s Eurovision act; according to a statement, the public backlash led to a reevaluation of the decision.
ARD’s entertainment coordinator, Thomas Schreiber, called Naidoo ‘an exceptional singer’ and said he was certain the artist ‘is neither a racist nor homophobic’.
‘It was certain that he’d polarize, but we were surprised by the forceful reactions. We misjudged this,’ Schreiber said in the statement.
‘The Eurovision Song Contest is a happy event, with music and the understanding among nations at its heart. This character has to be conserved at all costs.
‘The current discussions could seriously harm the ESC. For this reason, Xavier Naidoo will not compete for Germany.’
A driving force behind the public’s rejection of Naidoo were accusations of homophobia, based on his song Wo Sind Sie Jetzt (Where are they now) in which he appears to liken gay men to pedophiles, and anti-Semitism.
The singer is also said to be close to the Reichsbürgerbewegung (Reich Citizens’ Movement), a far-right movement of multiple groups following a conspiracy theory claiming the Federal Republic of Germany is illegitimate, thus the Reich’s 1919 Weimar Constitution remains in effect.
Naidoo has disputed these accusations, saying he is neither homophobic nor anti-Semitic and is in no way affiliated to any groups associated with the Reich Citizens’ Movement.
On his Facebook page he posted a short message saying it the broadcaster had approached Naidoo and he had thought long and hard before accepting the invitation, but the turn of events ‘is okay for me.’
‘My passion for music and my commitment to love, freedom, tolerance and togetherness will not be slowed down by this.’
At least the German gay community stood up to ARD, but it s very disheartening when ARD states they knew their choice was going to be controversial and they still thought they could bully their way through the gay community with his selection.
If this isn't a full on wake up call to the German gay community, about their perceived passivity in what can be argued as a gay dominated music industry, imagine how they perceive you outside your own community.
2 comments:
with respect Ulf, I don't think it's got much to do with perceptions, gay or otherwise
it's to do with money. What if they kept him, he sang, and he won?
they could have found themselves out to sea in a boycott of viewings, lost ratings, advertisers pulling out, and lost record sales. I'm sure this guy's got plenty of non-LGBT sympathisers who'd still love to get the boot in on him. Remember this is Continent-wide: the words `German` and `Nazi` do not play well in most of the EU
I reckon they've done a deal with his agent. He's come out of it smelling of roses - like a victim to many in Germany no doubt, and with his Nazi following intact
`1919 Weimar Constitution remains in effect`
and the Tsar is still Tsar of Russia
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