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Artist News Awards
Germany withdraws Xavier Naidoo as 2016 Eurovision entrant
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 24 November 2015
German broadcaster NDR has withdrawn Xavier Naidoo as its 2016 representative in the Eurovision Song Contest following accusations that the singer is homophobic and anti-Semitic. Although the broadcaster maintains that this is not the case.
Thomas Schreiber of ARD, the consortium of broadcasters of which NDR is a member, said in a statement: “Xavier Naidoo is a brilliant singer who is, according to my own opinion, neither racist nor homophobe. It was clear that his nomination would polarise opinions, but we were surprised about the negative response”.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a fun event, in which music and the understanding between European people should be the focus”, he continued. “This characteristic must be kept at all costs. The ongoing discussion about Naidoo could harm the image of the Eurovision Song Contest. This is why Naidoo will not represent Germany. We will quickly decide now, how the German entry for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest will be found”.
There was much criticism of Naidoo’s selection in the German press following the recent announcement. Many pointed to lyrics such as his 2012 song ‘Wo Sind’, which apparently linked homosexuality and paedophilia.
