The EBU claims that Eurovision is apolitical. But 2012 winner Loreen is using her fame in very political ways. Today she pledged her support to Russian civil rights activists “Pussy Riot” and human rights charity “Natalia Project”.
Loreen has never been one to shy aware from political activism. She was famously the only Eurovision contest to meet with human rights activists while in Baku. “Human rights are violated in Azerbaijan every day,” she told reporters. “One should not be silent about such things.” Loreen also met with the wife of a Belarusian political prisoner when performing in the country, and signed the petition to ban the death penalty in Belarus.
The charities she has expressed her support for today resonate strongly with her other recent projects. Her latest single “We Got the Power” is centered around the idea that we have the power to make a change, especially for women. So it makes sense that she is supporting activists like “Pussy Riot”.
If you don’t already know, “Pussy Riot” are a Russian girl band that were arrested after speaking about women’s rights and freedom of speech in Russia. They have been supported by celebrities such as Madonna. More information about the girls and the project can be found here.
By signing up for the “Natalia Project”, the charity Loreen is supporting, you are given an alarm to be notified whenever a human rights defender is at risk. More information about what the project does and how it helps those in need can be read here.
Many people have criticised Loreen for speaking out about political issues like these instead of focusing solely on her music. But she is clearly passionate about the work and is successfully spreading the word about human rights issues throughout Europe. So good on her, we say!
Katie Wilson contributed this story from the U.K. Follow her on Twitter at @katiewillfly and like our Facebook page to keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip.
x-occasions are created only to be able to condemn Eastern European and Islamic countries. The bad thing is that these events are designed to terms that have high reputation in our western world and we see it mistakenly as constructive protest: punk, pop, feminism, gay liberation, human rights, democracy, freedom… But if you look closer at these protests you see that our values ??are aggressively reversed.
Congratulations, Loreen! Success! Everyone should support it.