Cypriot TV station CyBC’s entry to the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest caused outrage among the country’s predominantly Christian population who say it is a celebration of Satanism.
The refrain of the song “El Diablo” (The Devil) written by Thoms Stengaard, Jimmy Thornfeldt, Laurell Baker, and Oxa and performed by Elena Tsagrinou, is as follows:
“I fell in love I fell in love I gave my heart to El Diablo, El Diablo
I gave it up I gave it up because he tells me I’m his angel, I’m his angel
Oh, El Diablo, El Diablo
I fell in love, I fell in love, I gave my heart to El Diablo, El Diablo “
As a result of the controversial song, an anonymous instigator encouraged people to set fire to the TV headquarters, and heated debates erupted over the song’s message.
CyBC television turned to the police over the threat, who are now investigating.
The country’s union of religious educators issued a statement on Friday demanding that the TV station no longer broadcast the song. They wrote that they were “horrified” by the theme of the composition, the performer of which, in their opinion, “praises Satan, dedicates his life to him, and loves him”.
In response to the attacks, the television network explains that the message of the song, which is actually about the “eternal struggle between good and evil”, has been misunderstood.
Cyprus has a population of 1.2 million of which 94.8 percent belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Title image: Still caption from the “El Diablo” music video. (Source: Youtube).
