Eurovision Song Contest bans China's Mango TV over Ireland and Albania censorship

  • Eurovision organisers EBU have banned China from airing this year's contest
  • Broadcaster Mango TV cut a gay-themed dance and blurred a rainbow flag
  • Albania's performance was also cut because the singer was heavily tattooed

By Ben Rabinovich

Published: | Updated:

China has been banned from broadcasting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The country won’t be hearing ‘Hello from Lisbon’ after the EBU, the organisers of the international singing competition, decided to ban the state’s Eurovision 2018 broadcaster following its censorship of LGBT elements during the first semi-final.

On Tuesday, May 8, China’s Mango TV blurred a rainbow flag that appeared during Switzerland’s performance and also decided to cut performances from Ireland and Albania. 

MangoTV is owned by China's second most watched channel, state-run Hunan TV.

Ireland’s entry Ryan O’Shaughnessy performed Together, a song about a gay relationship, and his performance featured two male dancers enacting the story.

China's Mango TV broadcaster cut Ireland's gay-themed dance and blurred a rainbow flag

China's Mango TV broadcaster cut Ireland's gay-themed dance and blurred a rainbow flag

The depiction of a gay relationship falls foul of China’s censorship rules, which classified homosexuality as ‘abnormal sexual behaviour’ not fit for broadcasting back in 2016. 

Other categories deemed not fit for China’s TV include incest and sexual abuse.

Albania’s performance was cut due to the singer Eugent Bushpepa’s tattoos. 

China’s media watchdog cracked down on tattoos in January 2018, branding them ‘decadent’ and against the Communist Party’s values and morals.

In March, Chinese football players who had tattoos were forced to wear long sleeves or bandages to hide their ink. 

In response to the censorship, the European Broadcasting Union barred Mango TV from broadcasting Thursday, May 10’s second semi-final and the upcoming final.

‘This is not in line with the EBU's values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music,’ the EBU said in a statement.

‘It is with regret that we will therefore immediately be terminating our partnership with the broadcaster and they will not be permitted to broadcast the second Semi-Final or the Grand Final.’

Ireland’s O’Shaughnessy welcomed the decision, telling the BBC: ‘I would like to welcome the decision by the EBU to do that because from the very start we have just said love is love.

‘It doesn’t matter whether it’s between two guys and two girls or a guy and a girl.

‘I think it’s a really important decision by the EBU, they haven’t taken it lightly, and I think it’s a move in the right direction – I’m happy about it.’

Semi-final host Ryan Clark-Neal added: ‘This is Eurovision, it’s inclusive of every single person.'

See here for all the information on the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 including when is it on and who is SuRie. 

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