Riika Tauriainen
I would recommend every Finn to watch the Iron Maiden documentary that is currently playing in cinemas instead of the Eurovision final next Saturday, even if the victory clicks for Finland, writes Riika Tauriainen, editor of Iltalehti.
I love Eurovision and I don’t care one bit about heavy metal.
But still, I would recommend every Finn to watch the Iron Maiden 50th anniversary documentary that is currently playing in cinemas instead of the Eurovision final next Saturday.
I am of this opinion, even if the victory clicks for our own duo, To Pete Parkkosen and Linda to Lampenius.
The reason for this is clear. The impressive Iron Maiden documentary about fan culture reminds us that the role of music is to break boundaries and bring people together.
Does it sound like a Eurovision vision? I would argue that yes. But the Eurovision Song Contest has never torn people apart as much as it is now.
Me, who doesn’t listen to heavy metal at all and the Swedish princess of pop is playing in my headphones Zara LarssonI was moved to tears during the Iron Maiden documentary. In one scene, the band played their first stadium gig during the Iron Curtain in Poland in 1984.
At that time, Poland was still a Soviet-influenced communist dictatorship. I wondered how significant and great a moment it was for the forgotten Poles. In a country where there weren’t even record stores. Even the Polish soldiers who were in the front row of the show turned towards the stage after the first couple of songs and jammed throughout the show.
Music has such a power, such a feeling that we cannot write in newspaper articles. Art is always political. Music is political. Eurovision is also political.
That’s why I’m thinking about Eurovision during this show in Poland. Visas were originally created to unite Europe. Now, when we need it the most, when polarization is tearing people apart and the world’s security policy situation is unstable, the sages do not fulfill this task.
Why don’t we as Europe stand in a common line? Is it because the Killed Children are brown Palestinians? Is this just a time to show the world that Europe is turning a blind eye to avoid discomfort?
During the history of Viusu, the world has gone through many unprecedented crises.
The latest one is from this decade. In 2022, Russia was banned from visas when it started a large-scale war of aggression in Ukraine. It was more than right. I remember when all spring journalists were covering the war in Ukraine. Of the dead, of the wounded, of those who lost their homes. When Ukraine won the fives, I cried. Of solidarity. That small hope of community was significant.
Since then, this same sense of community has not been seen. And it won’t be as long as the European Broadcasting Corporation (EBU) allows Israel to participate in the Games.
Last year, I looked at the vote count of the finals with a side eye and wondered if Israel would win now. This happened in front of the eyes of the onlookers. The tension shone through the screen as to whether this year’s competition would be held in a country that kills tens of thousands of women and children.
Anxiety about the same issue is still present this year as the EBU continues to be silent and this is not being addressed.
Israel has still been allowed to participate in visas, even though Israel has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians since the fall of 2023. Even Israel has admitted this I estimate it to be mostly true. Of the dead during this period more than half are women and children.
The current war began on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. The attackers attacked, among other things, military bases and music festivals, and more than a thousand people were killed. As a result, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza.
The war has caused enormous destruction and suffering in Gaza. An independent group of researchers appointed by the UN published a report in 2025in which it assessed Israel’s actions since the start of the war. According to the report, the Israeli authorities and army have committed several acts that meet the hallmarks of genocide as defined in international law.
It has already been clear since 2024 what the spirit of the game is in Eurovision. There are a huge number of fans in the visual arts world who love the culmination of spring.
I am one of them too. Some of the warmest memories of my childhood are when the final was on TV and we kids got to watch longer than usual. I remember when Lordi won.
I also remember when, now in adulthood, we were with friends in front of the TV and we were excited to see how Käärijälle was doing. He was wearing “wrapper green”, the drinks were green and the same theme was repeated in the eye make-up. And then came the crushing defeat to Sweden.
If Finland now wins the visas, it will not bring the nation together, even though many dream of it. How can we be a happy nation together when there is so much conflict inside?
I also remind you that the responsibility cannot be shifted only to the fans and artists. In the background, bigger carts spin, EBU’s and Yle’s in Finland. Silence from public radio is a conscious choice. Many countries, such as Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, kept their spines and boycotted visas. Usually not. Hundreds of Finnish artists also demand this, but no.
My dreams include a united Europe that defends human rights around the world. Not a Europe that wants to close its eyes.
