Rai’s gaffe at Eurovision 2024, vote percentages revealed. And Israel defeats everyone (even with boos)

The accidental dissemination of the data triggered controversy via social media, also because it seems to have precedents

RIMINI – Bad, very bad at Eurovision 2024 for Rai which puts on the streets (or rather on the screen) what cannot be done. At the end of the evening, yesterday 9 May, in fact, violating the regulation, the percentage of televoting obtained by singers and groups who gained access to Saturday’s final appeared on Italian screens. And, surprisingly, while most of the finalists were “satisfied” with percentages lower than 10%, the largest slice, 39.31% of the preferences went to the most booed artist in the arena, the singer Eden Golan, who participates for Israel.
Golan has in fact been contested in recent days, during the tests, and then again, even with a sit-in protest in Malmo in which even Greta Thunberg participated, and then last night while she was performing, “penalized” not for the song or for her ability, but for being the standard-bearer of Israel, in fact.

The accidental dissemination of the data triggered the controversy via social media, also because it seems to have precedents: already last year Rai did not reveal the percentages before the grand final. Yet the dissemination of televoting is prohibited by regulation of the European Broadcasting Union and Rai would – it seems – also risk a disciplinary measure at this point.

Certainly, the revelation of the result of the Israeli singer shuffles the cards for the final, considering that Eden Golan’s performance had not even been considered in the slightest by the bookmakers among the top five possible rankings . Meanwhile, the televoting has formalized the entry into the final for 10 singers of the second semi-final: in addition to Eden Golan (Israel) there are Dons (Lithuania), Kaleen (Austria), Joost Klein (Holland), Gåte (Norway), Marina Satti ( Greece), 5MIINUST x Puuluup (Estonia), Nemo (Switzerland), Nutsa Buzaladze (Georgia), Ladaniva (Armenia).

Our hurricane 🌪️ is in the FINAL!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Israel last night 🇮🇱 in the second semi-final of the#Eurovision .

Continue to support Eden Golan 💙

See you tomorrow evening on Rai1!!!

📸 @eurovision pic.twitter.com/H4pMIomnzw

— Israel in Italy 🇮🇱🇮🇹 (@IsraelinItaly) May 10, 2024