EUROVISION 2016: Xavier Naidoo will not represent Germany
Only two days after Xavier Naidoo was announced as the German representative for Eurovision 2016, the German broadcaster ARD has announced that he will not go to Stockholm.
After the announcement, Eurovision fans and the local media supported that the artist wasn’t the ideal choice due to his being a member of Reichsbürgerbewegung, a group that believes that the German Reich continues to exist, and his songs include references against jews and againt LGBT people.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a fun event, in which music and the understanding between European people should be the focus. This characteristic must be kept at all costs. The ongoing discussion about Naidoo could harm the image of the Eurovision Song Contest. This is why Naidoo will not represent Germany.”, says Thomas Schreiber NDR’s Head of Entertainment. Moreover Thomas Schreiber praised Xavier as an “outstanding” singer and refuted accusations that he has been a homophobe and a racist.