NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) –
Dozens of faithful Orthodox Christians held wooden crosses and sang Church hymns outside the Cypriot state radio station to demand the withdrawal of the country’s controversial entry into the Eurovision Song Contest – entitled “The Devil” – which they say promotes satanic worship.
Some of the protesters, including families, held banners that said in Greek, “Protest peacefully, not El Diablo,” “Repent and return to Christ,” and “Christ saves, Diablo kills.”
The sender and singer of the song insist that it has been misinterpreted and that the song is about an abusive relationship between two lovers.
The protest came several days after the powerful Orthodox Church called for the withdrawal of the song, which it said mocked the country’s moral foundations by defending “our surrender to the devil and promoting his worship.”
The Holy Synod, the Church’s highest decision-making body, said in a statement that the song “essentially praises the fatalistic submission of humans to the authority of the devil” and urged the state broadcaster to replace it. for one that “expresses our history, culture, traditions and our demands.”
Last week, police accused a man of making threats and causing harassment when he attacked the public broadcaster’s grounds to protest what he condemned as a “blasphemous” song that was an affront to Christianity.
The state broadcaster insisted that the ticket would not be withdrawn, but its board chairman Andreas Frangos admitted that the organizers should have done a better job explaining the basic message of the song, whose lyrics they include, “I gave my heart to the devil … because he tells me I am his angel.”
Even the Cypriot government entered into the controversy, with presidential spokesman Viktoras Papadopoulos saying that while the views of dissidents are respected, the government cannot override freedom of expression.
“The government fully respects the intellectual and artistic creative freedom that cannot be misinterpreted or limited because of the title of a song, and unnecessary dimensions should not be attributed,” Papadopoulos said in a written statement.
Greek artist Elena Tsagrinou, who performed the song, said the song is about a woman crying for help after falling in love with a “bad boy” known as “The Devil” and coming to identify and relate to your aggressor. Tsagrinou insisted that any other interpretation is “unfounded.”
“The song sends a strong message, against any form of abuse, like the one broadcast on ‘El Diablo,'” Tsagrinou told The Associated Press in a written statement. “In these times ‘I Too Movement’, this message is extremely relevant and can be heard not only in Cyprus, but also throughout Europe and beyond.”
She added that she is a Christian and that her faith was very important to her.
Addressing the song’s detractors, Tsagrinou said that “we should all embrace the song’s true and intentional message” and that now people are moving forward with their own stories of abuse.
“Music unites and empowers. Let’s focus on this and the important issues around us and leave behind misinterpretations and dark thoughts, ”said Tsagrinou.