Eurovision: Russia fears boycott or booing over homophobia
Russia’s Eurovision organising committee is worried that their act may face a backlash when they take to the stage tomorrow for the semi-final.
According to the Mirror, there are fears that the country could face hostility from the Copenhagen crowd, as a result of country’s anti-gay law the and ongoing Crimea conflict
Russian entry Shine, performed by 17-year-old twins the Tolmachevy Sisters, has not fared well with bookmakers, but the country has not missed a final in over a decade.
A source told the newspaper: “The girls are likely to suffer when they take to the stage – not just as a result of the aggression over Crimea but also because of Putin’s homophobia, which won’t please a crowd consisting largely of gay men.
“The backlash is being treated as inevitable by the organisers.
“Attitudes towards Russia are at an all-time low and it doesn’t matter that the girls, Nastya and Masha, are cute as buttons – many other nations are going to let their feelings be known.
“The chance of them getting through are slim.”
For the purposes of voting, Crimea will be considered part of Ukraine.
Last week, the proponent of Russia’s anti-gay law called for the country to boycott the ‘Eurovision sodom show’, or at least to edit out the performance of the Austrian entry, drag artist Conchita Wurst, who is performing in Thursday’s second semi-final.
The first Eurovision semi-final airs tomorrow night, at 8pm on BBC3.
