The Netherlands Has Won The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest
DOUZE POINTS.
The Netherlands has taken home the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, with singer Duncan Laurence scoring 492 points for his song ‘Arcade’.
He beat out strong competition from North Macedonia, Italy and Sweden, who were all in the running until the very last of the public votes were cast. Predictably, the United Kingdom came in dead last, with just 16 points.
Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke came in a very respectable 9th place, with her death-defying track ‘Zero Gravity’.
This year’s Eurovision was mired in controversy from the moment Israel won last year. Last September, more than 100 artists co-signed an open letter asking the Contest to move the competition from Israel, citing an incident in May where the Israeli army killed 62 Palestinian protesters and injured hundreds more in Gaza.
Many urged Miller-Heidke to boycott the competition; she addressed concerns in an interview with SBS before the semi-final last week.
“I’m pretty sure all the artists have been experiencing the same pressures, the same kind of Twitter extremism, I’ve spoken with some of the other artists, everyone feels conflicted by it, everyone feels under pressure,” she told SBS News. “Since being here (in Israel), I’ve been even more sure about the value of open dialogue.”
The Contest’s opening ceremony was protested by pro-Palestine activists. During the vote counting, Iceland’s entry Hatari held up Palestinian flags — to boos from the crowd.
Watch the winning performance below.