Russia considers pulling out of Eurovision, making ‘straight’ rival show
Russia is reportedly considering pulling out of Eurovision, and making a rival contest for its regions and allies.
The deputy leader of Russia’s Communist party, Valery Rashkin, said the country should leave the contest after the win of drag queen Conchita Wurst, and make its own contest which abides by its ‘gay propaganda’ laws.
The move would follow in the footsteps of Turkey, which left the contest in 2012 citing objections to format changes to create the Türkvizyon Song Contest, which 24 countries from Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East entered last year.
After a same-sex kiss featured in last year’s Eurovision, Turkey stopped broadcasting the song contest entirely.
Rashkin said: “The last Eurovision contest’s results exhausted our patience.
“We must leave this competition. We cannot tolerate this endless madness.”
He would instead push for a rival “Voice of Eurasia” show with allied countries, which will be “family friendly” and not controlled by the West.
The Slavic Advisory Committee in Belarus has agreed with the suggestion, saying: “”Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision victory symbolises the complete collapse of the European Union’s moral values,” the country’s advisory Slavic Committee said in a statement.
“We do not need Europe!”
This year’s Eurovision has received cross-party condemnation in Russia, with former Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky labelling it the “end of Europe”.
He said: “There is no limit to our outrage.
“It has turned wild. There are no more men or women in Europe, just it.
“[It is] the end of Europe.”
A rival Eastern bloc song contest named Intervision was previously attempted during the Cold War, running for four years between 1977 and 1980.
