- Switzerland defeated Croatia to win the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo.
- Nemo hopes the competition can uphold the values of dignity and peace for all people on the planet.
- Nemo’s win would serve as an example for others who have experienced discrimination against non-binary people.
Switzerland, who finished among the top three bookmakers, defeated Croatia to win the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo. The competition, which is being marketed as a celebration of diversity in Europe, has been impacted by calls to remove Israel due to its military incursion in Gaza.
Nemo, a rapper and musician from Switzerland, took first place in the competition with his song “The Code,” which is about his quest for non-binary identity. Nemo hopes the competition can uphold the values of dignity and peace for all people on the planet.
Eurovision Song Contest
As soon as the winner was revealed, bars in the heart of Zurich erupted in cheers, and the crowd sang along as Nemo destroyed a triumphant performance of “The Code.” Nemo’s win, according to kindergarten worker Maha Nater, 24, would serve as an example for others who have experienced discrimination against non-binary people.
The second place went to Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” a song about a young guy who wants to leave his family and become a “city boy” with better possibilities. Even though protesters demanded a boycott of Israel, Eden Golan, an Israeli province, placed fifth in the competition.
Several thousand demonstrators, holding Palestinian flags and chanting “Eurovision united by genocide,” gathered in the heart of Malmo ahead of Saturday’s final. Later on, several hundred more demonstrators showed up outside the arena, shouting, “Eurovision, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”
The Dutch artist Joost Klein was kicked out of the competition earlier on Saturday after a member of the production staff submitted a complaint. Twenty-five countries participated in the final. Five music professionals from each participating country served as jurors, with the remaining half of the final results determined by viewer votes.
The official glass trophy, fashioned after a vintage microphone and featuring painted and sandblasted features, is given to the winner of the Eurovision contest. The competition’s host for the next year will also go to the winner.
