Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie has hit out at Madonna for her controversial Eurovision performance, labelling the pop icon a “prostitute” for her decision to perform in Israel.
On Saturday, music fans from around the world tuned in to watch the Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence win the 2019 Eurovision Song Content with ‘Arcade’.
While Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke might have finished down at the 9th position, much of the attention for this year’s festivities was centred around the host country of Israel, and calls to boycott the contest over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
While this isn’t a new topic, with artists like Lorde and Lana Del Rey receiving criticism for their decisions to perform in the country, Madonna was the latest artist to attract controversy, receiving widespread scorn for appearing at the contest and performing her new single, ‘Future’.
Responding to detractors last week, Madonna rejected calls to boycott Israel, noting that she would perform as previously planned and would not stop speaking out against political injustices.
“I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be,” Madonna explained in a statement.
“My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people who benefit from this ancient conflict,” she added.
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