A few days ago, the Israeli ambassador to Budapest objected over the staging of Boggie’s song “Wars For Nothing”.  At A Dal, Hungary’s national selection, the background visuals mentioned the 2014 Gaza conflict. Boggie has now reacted on Facebook, clearing the air and making assurances that the respective sentence will not be shown in Vienna.

Boggie’s background

At the 1:36 mark in the video of Boggie’s performance in the A Dal final below, one can read the following sentence (in Hungarian): “2014 – Gaza – two-thirds of the victims were civilians, including more than 500 children.” The sentence makes reference to the Operation Protective Edge carried out by Israel in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. According to news reports, the Israel-Gaza conflict resulted in the deaths of over 2,100 people, the vast majority of them Gazan civilians, according to the United Nations. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven civilians also died.

The respective mention was seen as offensive by Ilan Mor, the Israeli ambassador to Hungary, who turned to the Hungarian broadcasting authority, expressed his country’s reservations over the planned song and asked that the sentence be removed. Although Israel isn’t mentioned by name in the song, the ambassador asked Hungarian broadcaster MTVA to eliminate the mention of the Gaza war, explaining that it is seen as an “inconvenient” political message against Israel.

Boggie issued the following statement on Facebook:

Online media has written about the Israeli ambassador in Hungary calling MTVA to remove a sentence about the victims of the war in Gaza from the background visuals of my song. Although I tried to avoid making a statement about a debate that is not my own, I feel I have no other choice as it has an influence on my song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

I love ’Wars for Nothing’. I am really proud of it. I strongly believe in the power of my song, and that the world needs such songs. It makes me incredibly sad that someone interprets a song that is written about and for peace as an attack against any nation. The song is not only about peace but also about our inner fights and our ability to face our faults and take responsibility for our actions.

According to the feedback after the semi-finals in Hungary, the overflowing background text drew attention from the singers, but unfortunately it was not possible to change it during A Dal 2015. The new background will be based on animation instead of words.

The moodboard for the new background video was prepared and delivered to the production crew in Vienna on 15 March at the ESC 2015 Heads of Delegation meeting two weeks ago; well before any objection about the previous video was made. Thus there is no need to call on MTVA to take any further steps.

I would love to hope that artistic freedom exists in the 21st century. I have been singing for a better world all my life, regardless of anyone’s worldview or nationality and I will continue to do so in the future.

The European Broadcasting Union rules for the Eurovision Song Contest specifically state that competing songs should be void of political messages, although peace songs are allowed. Do you think that this debacle is hurting Hungary’s chances in Vienna? Or, on the contrary, the attention it gets now is actually beneficial to Boggie’s song and message? Could it be a war over nothing? Sound off below!

Photo: Nikolett Penziás

FOLLOW ALL OF OUR HUNGARY EUROVISION NEWS HERE.

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Peter
Peter
8 years ago

As for the other “Peter”, who gave you the right to decide who is, or isn’t Hungarian. Racist prick.

Peter
Peter
8 years ago

So, if this Boggie chick is such a humanitarian, how come she doesn’t sing about the thousands of rockets which have rained down on Israeli civilians over all those years?
Humanitarian my arse! Cheap propagandist.

Chris
Chris
8 years ago

This song has a message……and it still will have, even when Israel’s ambassador Ilan Mor is responsiblw for the canellation of the text, that 500 children were killed by Israel’s attack….people wake up, it’s not just what Israel did…..this song is about war worldwide……R.I.P. innocent killed people

Blair
Blair
9 years ago

Am with Martin. Israel singling themselves out – as always – as a special case merely exposes them as the aggressor. SHAME ON YOU EBU for blessing their involvement in the Eurovision, even as the Israeli Government continues to commit war crimes with impunity.

anne
anne
9 years ago

This is the most boring song i have heard from Hungary or anywhere. The political conflict won’t save it because it puts me to sleep.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

@Moshe: That’s fair.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

@Leon : Did ORF say when the breaks are?

TaTaPu
TaTaPu
9 years ago
frank
frank
9 years ago

Boogie must be very happy with the Israeli ambassador, it is free publicity for a song that deserve more attention than it got so far.

Tarek
Tarek
9 years ago

I’m sorry for Boggie that their freedom of expression was not respected as they were forced to bow to Israel’s orders. But, when they are on stage at the Eurovision delivering their performance live, nobody will be able to control them. I hope they are courageous enough to seize the opportunity and expose Israel for its war crimes.

Leon
Leon
9 years ago

@Eugene ESC UK – Yep, that was me. In my opinion the order of performances should have been:

1. The Netherlands
2. Greece
3. Moldova
4. Finland
5. Armenia
Break
6. Estonia
7. Belgium

Jamie
Jamie
9 years ago

Israel are criticising the song and its political message? The same Israel that sent ‘Push The Button’?

Leon
Leon
9 years ago

@Eugene ESC UK – I had the same exact thought. What’s even more interesting is that neither one of them fits in where they have been placed. I mean come, Armenia second? Might as well have them open the show. I do believe that EBU doesn’t want Armenia (mostly) and Hungary for whatever reason to advance.

Mario
9 years ago

Hungary is my 2nd most liked song in the 1st semifinal & my 4th most liked from the 40 entries of Vienna’s Vision.. I really hope that Hungary will find away to qualify to the big final because the song deserves to pass in my opinion… Too many euro fans unfortunately do not like it and find it too boring instead…I think that i belong to the minority of the fans that we actually like the hungarian 2015 entry…What a shame really.. I really love this kind of slow sweet ballads…<3 They have their own charm and cuteness… <3 🙂… Read more »

Melissa J
Melissa J
9 years ago

Way to be over-dramatic as usual, Israel. That’s not the only conflict mentioned on the screens–it’s about ALL conflicts and ALL the victims. It’s not like they are specifically calling out Israel either. But heaven forbid we criticize Israel on anything they do!

Daniel_2015
Daniel_2015
9 years ago

This was the only way this song could have generated any reaction whatsoever… This must be the most boring song în the history of mankind! Ok, I get the message, humanity blah blah blah, but I think they could have put it on a music that is not coma inducing…

DOLL
DOLL
9 years ago

If it’s supposed to just “show” the stats, where are the 80 israelis killed?

well done Hungary for taking a non political stand!

Nitzan
Nitzan
9 years ago

Israel is not wisely pointing the spotlight at the (very bland) Hungarian song instead of removing it from there. But diplomacy has never been an Israeli expertise.

Daniel
Daniel
9 years ago

Hungary must be a depressive place. Last year child abuse. This year war with killing, violence and a sad attempt of preventing it. Who the hell liked this stuff?

Huh
Huh
9 years ago

Like what you people have mentioned here, she’s just naming the conflict; not revealing the actual scenes of the war. Anybody could also point out the names of these wars/conflicts in different media like in any art gallery (esp when their freedom of speech are protected in some ways). Even us because her perspective in mentioning that conflict is just as common and harmless as a normal person’s perspective about wars/conflicts. If she and her team mentioned the specific details of the said conflict on the background visuals, then I think that’s where some ambassadors/gov’t officials can make any appropriate… Read more »

Erin
Erin
9 years ago

This issue could have remained a non-issue if it was cordially discussed between the Israeli and Hungarian broadcasters in discretion so that any sensibilities could have been handled amicably. Getting the Israeli ambassador involved in something so trivial is a gross overstatement and it should never have got to that point. However, I do wonder why the false figure of 10,000 victims in Syria on the background map with the various texts isn’t deemed as offensive: What about the estimated death of over 200,000 people since that civil war broke out in 2011. What is the percentage of civilian casualties… Read more »

Julian
Julian
9 years ago

Instead of just words on a wall that nobody can follow they could do something more visual for the song: bombings, mass graves, devastated cities, refugees camps, hospitals full of wounded, explosions, etc or they can show pictures of military equipment maybe in action or images of normal life for an extended period of time during the song and then suddenly everything is destroyed. There are so many possibilities. Such a shock would make up for the chorus too. The song is not bad, it gives the time and the proper music to think and picture the idea of “wars… Read more »

mawnck
mawnck
9 years ago

Sooo … is EVERYBODY doing animation on their screens this year?

Leon
Leon
9 years ago

I think Israel probably called Azerbaijan to get some insiders on how to create fuss on Eurovision. Well done. Those two should start dating

Huh
Huh
9 years ago

*Facepalm* Can’t believe they will censor a part of her background visuals just for that mention.

Donna
Donna
9 years ago

Israel is probably making up for what they did with the live performance of their Eurovision 2000 entry. The same entry that landed them with a low ranking (although it sounds catchier than what UK sent in 2003).

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
9 years ago

so I suppose if Russia doesn’t like her message, all references to Donetsk and Luhansk should be taken out?
that’s silly
then again azerbaijan and armenia do the same thing every year to each other so

Miss Uncongeniality
Miss Uncongeniality
9 years ago

I love this girl, is not easy to not fall sleep while listening or singing this amazingly boooooring song, thanks to her eyelashes she cant close those big eyes and fall down

Edward Nygma
Edward Nygma
9 years ago

In that case, maybe she should reconsider the different visuals all together. This way, someone will get oversensitive (and lets be honest, if they aren’t ashamed or feel guilty, they would not even address this issue) and make a fuss. Unfortunately, peace songs these days need to be as neutral as possible, probably just repeating some random mantra about peace, without any reference (like Russian entry). As soon as someone has explicit examples, like Hungary or Armenia, people get touchy.

Noah
Noah
9 years ago

Firstly, this years’ Hungarian song is bland and in no way on the same level with their previous efforts.

Secondly, their texts were not adding story to their story but they’ve actually made me rolling my eyes trying to read what were they saying. No words in Vienna is a great thing for me.

Third, and last, Israel and their “wars for nothing”. Blatant to even comment on that issue.

PP
PP
9 years ago

My prediction for first semifinal
2.Armenia
3.Belgium
6.Greece
7.Estonia
9.Serbia
11.Belarus
12.Russia
14.Albania
15.Romania
16.Georgia

II Semi final
1.Lithuania
5.Malta
6.Norway
8.Czech Republic
9.Israel
11.Azerbaijan
12.Iceland
13.Sweden
16.Slovenia
17.Poland

ryanireland
ryanireland
9 years ago

People she hasn’t got any chance of winning let alone qualifying. Desperate ballad with no chorus

Aron F.
Aron F.
9 years ago

PP, how is this relevant?
ANyway, I think it will boost her chances. There is no bad advertisement.

EUROFAN MEXICO
EUROFAN MEXICO
9 years ago

you must to see the movie AMERICAN SNIPPER and understand to much WE DONT WANT ANY WAR FOREVER

ryanireland
ryanireland
9 years ago

ok, very simply, it should have never been shown, also it is a song contest. Israel as in their singer should not be blamed for the government in Israel.
Also, this Hungarian song is their worst in years!!! I have loved Hungarian songs in recent years, but this is just bland and boring.

martin
martin
9 years ago

Wow. How pathetic.

It was not an attack on a nation, it was a call for peace. And that’s how they interpret it. Deep down they know what they are doing is wrong.

Really shows who is the aggressor in this conflict.

Don’t ever change your message Boggie.

PP
PP
9 years ago

Hungary support Germany in II World War and make terible thing in Serbia in Vojvodina .The Novi Sad raid (Serbian: ?????????? ?????? / Novosadska racija)[1] or the Újvidék massacre[2] was a series of attacks by Hungarian troops against civilians in Hungarian occupied Ba?ka on January 1942, after the Axis invasion and partition of Yugoslavia. The raids were conducted in several places in southern Ba?ka region, including Novi Sad, villages and towns in Šajkaška, as well as the towns of Temerin, Srbobran and Be?ej. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 civilian hostages, mostly of Serbs, and Jews, were rounded up and then… Read more »