Ireland Forced to Remove Pagan Body-Paint Symbols

MAY 15 2024 · 12:25

Bambie Thug (rewrite) · "Doomsday Blue (symbol rewrite)" · Ireland · 2024 Placement: 6 · Score: 278 · Language: English · Venue: Malmö Arena · Host: Malmö, Sweden · Type: scandal · Broadcast: streaming era During Malmö 2024 dress-rehearsal, Bambie Thug's body-paint carries occult and Ogham-script symbols — including what the EBU reviewer identifies as potentially pro-Palestinian coded messages. EBU requires removal of specific symbols before the live broadcast. Bambie Thug complies but speaks publicly afterward about the review process, calling it 'deeply upsetting' and noting that the removed symbols had non-political meanings. RTÉ supports Bambie Thug publicly. 278 points for 6th place. Context The 2024 Malmö contest's political-neutrality enforcement was the most aggressive in Eurovision history — Israeli contestant Eden Golan's 'October Rain' had been similarly rewritten, Joost Klein was disqualified. Bambie Thug's body-paint symbol review was part of the same heightened protocol. The specific removed symbols reportedly included Ogham script text reading 'ceasefire' and 'freedom'. Legacy The 2024 card is a parallel incident to Eden Golan and Joost Klein — three high-profile EBU political-content interventions at a single contest. Bambie Thug continued as Ireland's most prominent 2024-2025 alt-pop figure. The Malmö 2024 card is now cited in Eurovision political-content-review scholarship as the contest's most aggressive enforcement year.