In Basel, a referendum is set for November on hosting Eurovision 2025. The UDF, a Swiss ultraconservative party, opposes public funding for the contest, denouncing it as “propaganda” for the LGBT+ community and a political ideology.
The canton of Basel-City, in northern Switzerland, will need to organize a referendum in November on hosting Eurovision 2025, as opponents submitted enough signatures on Saturday.
Swiss singer Nemo, a non-binary activist, won Eurovision 2024, granting Switzerland the right to host the world’s largest song contest next May.
In August, Basel was chosen over Geneva in a country where voters are accustomed to direct oversight of public fund use.
The Federal Democratic Union (UDF), a small party advocating “timeless Christian values,” announced at the end of August on social network X that it would launch a referendum against the funding Basel had planned for the event.
The contest is financed by contributions from the European Broadcasting Union's member organizations, which ask host organizers to contribute to expenses, totaling 37.5 million Swiss francs (approximately the same amount in euros).
Described as ultraconservative by the Swiss press, the UDF accuses Eurovision of being “an event of propaganda,” particularly for the LGBT+ community, and claims it legitimizes antisemitism, following backlash against Israel's participation this year, as well as Satanism, referencing Bambie Thug’s performance for Ireland.
On Saturday, the party presented 4,203 signatures—more than double the requirement—supporting its referendum demand at Basel's Town Hall. The regional government must still verify these signatures' authenticity, but there should be enough valid ones to place the issue on the ballot on November 24, the next election day.
UDF President Daniel Frischknecht remarked on Saturday that the canton could find far better ways to spend its money, according to the Keystone-ATS news agency.
The party insists it has nothing against the music or the contestants' sexual orientation but maintains that Eurovision promotes a political ideology.
The UDF cannot expect much support from other political parties in Basel, as the Eurovision hosting budget received overwhelming approval from the cantonal parliament in September, with even the far-right UDC joining in, despite previously criticizing the contest in other candidate cities.
Switzerland hosted Eurovision in Lugano in 1956—the first edition—and again in Lausanne in 1989, following Canadian singer Céline Dion's victory the previous year representing the alpine nation.
In 2024, the live-broadcast semifinals and final drew 163 million viewers, according to the organizers.
With AFP
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