“For an entire year, all anyone talks about is gays and lesbians”: A Swiss parliament member launches a rare attack against Eurovision. What lies behind these harsh words — and why is Europe stirred?
Eurovision 2025 will take place in less than two weeks, and even before it has started, it is already under attack. Eric Weber, a member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt in Switzerland, has launched an unprecedented assault against the Eurovision contest and its associated cultural influences. In an interview broadcast on the Belarusian channel STV, Weber warned about the dangers he perceives in the contest’s existence and the cultural values it allegedly promotes.
“Eurovision? It’s Destroying Europe”
Eric Michael Weber (born June 24, 1963) is a Swiss far-right populist publisher, journalist, and politician. He is currently serving his third term as a member of the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt, representing his independent political movement “VA”, which is a one-person political entity.
One of the main topics Weber addressed was the upcoming Eurovision contest, which will be held in Basel, his hometown: “If we talk about my city, Basel, in a few weeks Eurovision will take place there, and for an entire year, all anyone talks about is gays and lesbians. This is not normal. It could destroy old Europe. This is a big problem.”
Weber linked Eurovision to deeper societal problems in Western culture: “We have many problems with immigration, with drugs, with violence,” and compared it to what he described as “LGBT propaganda in European countries.”
“Eurovision Is Destroying the Family Unit”
The parliament member did not settle for general criticism but directly connected Eurovision to the collapse of family values in Europe: “People understand: what is happening now is not right. I have already spoken about Eurovision, and it is not good, it is destroying the family in our country.”
Weber warned that the values promoted within the contest are also seeping into the education system: “We have textbooks that tell us we need to change our gender. What they are doing to our children is a catastrophe.”
“It’s Impossible to Oppose – They Silence Us”
During the interview, Eric Weber also revealed the harsh feelings he experiences when attempting to voice his opposition to these practices in the political system: “If I express opposition in parliament, they don’t let me speak. In parliament, they turn off my microphone. This is a true dictatorship.”
According to him, attempts to criticize the influence of Eurovision and the rapid social changes face mechanisms of political suppression and silencing.
“Even Our Democracy Has Become Fake”
Although Switzerland allows citizens to call for referendums, Weber claims that, in practice, this right is inaccessible to ordinary people: “Here, if the government passes a new law and you oppose it, you can hold a referendum. But you can hold a referendum only if you have a lot of money – and the big companies have the money, and therefore they control it. And the people know it.”
In his statements, the parliament member hinted that large corporations in Switzerland had a financial interest in hosting Eurovision in Basel — and therefore, the result of the referendum regarding the approval of Eurovision’s public funding in Basel was: yes.
A Threat to Traditional European Values
The criticism raised by Eric Weber is not limited to social aspects but touches the cultural and educational foundations upon which Europe was built. According to him, Eurovision has become a symbol of deep processes threatening to erode the institution of the family, alter children’s identities from a young age, and place anyone who dares to question this transformation at a disadvantage. In his clear words, he warns: a competition that began as a unifying and uplifting musical event — has, in his view, turned into a tool capable of destroying Europe.
Source:BELTA
Eurovision 2025: This will be Switzerland’s 65th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland joined the competition in 1956, being one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Its most recent victory was at the last Eurovision in 2025, with Nemo’s song “The Code.” This win follows Switzerland’s previous victory in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi,” performed by international singer Céline Dion.
