11 min
Headline fact-checks: Why is Hungary no longer participating in the Eurovision Song Contest? Headline Talks
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- Politics
It’s Eurovision week! Three nights of glitter, glamour and glorious absurdity are celebrated this week across Europe (though the term ‘Europe’ can be interpreted quite loosely).
Just as saxophones and folkloristic dance beats are an inevitable part of the annual song contest, so is the layer of politics to it all.
In this episode, Headline’s researchers Margot and Liesa dive into the question of why Hungary hasn’t participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2019.
UK media claimed in 2019 that the Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán withdrew the country from the Eurovision Song Contest because it’s “too gay” (as quoted).
Hungarian media called those reports fake news, stating that no Hungarian government source ever said that and that it wasn’t the reason that the country was no longer participating in Eurovision.
What is behind it all? We checked the facts.
If you would like to learn more about Hungary’s relationship with the rest of Europe, you can check out the very first episode of Headline talks, in which Margot spoke to Sándor Zsíros, a Hungarian EU correspondent for Euronews.
It’s Eurovision week! Three nights of glitter, glamour and glorious absurdity are celebrated this week across Europe (though the term ‘Europe’ can be interpreted quite loosely).
Just as saxophones and folkloristic dance beats are an inevitable part of the annual song contest, so is the layer of politics to it all.
In this episode, Headline’s researchers Margot and Liesa dive into the question of why Hungary hasn’t participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2019.
UK media claimed in 2019 that the Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán withdrew the country from the Eurovision Song Contest because it’s “too gay” (as quoted).
Hungarian media called those reports fake news, stating that no Hungarian government source ever said that and that it wasn’t the reason that the country was no longer participating in Eurovision.
What is behind it all? We checked the facts.
If you would like to learn more about Hungary’s relationship with the rest of Europe, you can check out the very first episode of Headline talks, in which Margot spoke to Sándor Zsíros, a Hungarian EU correspondent for Euronews.
11 min