Europe’s biggest song contest, Eurovision, kicked off earlier this week and unfortunately Electric Fields — the electronic duo representing Australia — were knocked out. However, their short-lived time in the Eurovision spotlight was not for nothing.
I’ve always wondered, why the hell is Australia in Eurovision? As Damian said in Mean Girls, “She doesn’t even go here”, yet here we are.
Despite that random thought creeping into my brain annually, Electric Fields, an electronic dynamic duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player Michael Ross took to the stage.
The pair were quite electrifying in their performance — just like their name and genre — but were unable to win over the Eurovision crowd with their gig.
Although the pair were knocked out of the competition, one of the artists who accompanied the duo on the stage shared an Instagram post revealing the powerful message behind his body paint.
Fred Leone (@fredleone), an artist with Aboriginal, Tongan and South-Sea Island roots who accompanied Electric Fields on the Eurovision stage, revealed on Instagram that he painted a watermelon on his chest in solidarity with Palestine. Alongside his body paint — Leone was also the first yidaki (didgeridoo) player to perform at Eurovision.
For folks who aren’t familiar, the watermelon is a powerful symbol of Palestinian liberation. Per Time, in 1967 when the Israeli government banned the public display of the Palestinian flag, Palestinians turned to watermelons because the fruit displays the flag’s colours — red, black, white and green.
“That’s a watermelon on my chest. From the river to the sea,” Leone wrote.
“200 million people watched and celebrated while innocent children, mothers and fathers die by the thousands in a GENOCIDE.”
Leone continued his message, writing that “Israel is not Judaism” and that “Israel doesn’t represent Jewish people”.
“I am not down with fucking GENOCIDE. My Great Grand Father survived three massacres,” the Butchulla songsman added.
“Our families across so-called Australia are the survivors of an ongoing genocide. This was a personal decision.
“What comes of this no matter how detrimental to my career as an artist is solely dependant on those that hold the power. All my love to the children of Palestine.
“You can disagree that’s fine but history will condemn you as a cunt.”
The Eurovision contest as a whole has seen an immense amount of backlash in the lead-up to this year’s event. There have been calls to boycott the contest over Israel’s participation in the competition because of its bombardment of Palestine, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.
Before the contest kicked off this week, the New York Times reported that a spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said that the display of Palestinian or Israeli flags would not be allowed in the contest, stating that only flags from the 37 participating countries and pride flags were allowed.
However, that didn’t stop artists from displaying their solidarity with Palestine.
Alongside Leone, Eurovision’s opening act Eric Saade was “rebuked” by the EBU after he had a keffiyeh — a Palestinian traditional garment — around his wrist.
“All performers are made aware of the rules of the contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event,” an EBU spokesperson said, per ITV News.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug also claimed that they were asked to change their costume by the EBU after they wrote: “Ceasefire” and “Sarise Don Phalistin” (which translates to “Freedom for Palestine” in Gaelic) on their faces, Vulture reports.
In response, the EBU shared a statement saying that the Irish delegation “agreed to change the text for the live show”.
“The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event,” an EBU spokesperson said
Since revealing the true meaning behind Leone’s body paint, the artist has seen a lot of support and positivity from fellow artists and viewers of the song contest.
The EBU has yet to respond to his Instagram post.
Since October 7, at least 35,287 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Al Jazeera. More than 75,000 have been wounded. The Israeli death toll remains 1,139.
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