EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 26: 2015 ("Don't Deny").
Continues tomorrow.

THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES

Of the

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

(1956 - 2019)  

From its inaugural year, the Eurovision Song Contest has had more than its fair share of controversial moments. This is a special look back on 30 significant upsets in chronological order.

2015

“Don’t Deny”.

In 2015, the Eurovision Song Contest also draw controversy when Armenia presented its entry. The song was entitled “Don’t Deny”. Its neighbouring nations Azerbaijan and Turkey argued that the entry referred to the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Political messages are prohibited at Eurovision. Armenia claimed that the song was not intended to be political. While the lyrics remained unchanged, its entry was re-titled “Face The Shadow”.

The song successfully competed in Semi- Final 1. In the Grand Final, Armenia finished 16^th in a field of 27. Georgia gave the song 12 points. On the other hand, Azerbaijan did not throw any points in Armenia’s direction. Turkey has not competed at Eurovision since 2012.

It is worth noting that just one year later, the identical rule relating to political messages in Eurovision songs, was overlooked in the case of the 2016 winning entry.