Dmitry Butakov News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Young Belarusians take stock Most critics, however, have said the song derides the opposition movement, its ongoing protests and the West, which the Lukashenko government has accused of orchestrating the demonstrations. Satirizing opposition demands, band leader Dmitry Butakov sings: "The free world cannot be stopped/the unfashionable, unworthy reactionary must go." In recent days, the song had received some 5,800 likes — and more than 40,000 dislikes and angry comments — on the ESC official YouTube page, with more than half a million views. It has since been taken down from the site. "It...

Belarus' Eurovision entry has been removed from the song contest's YouTube site amid claims that it is political.

Eurovision has banned Belarus from entering a song to this year’s contest called “I’ll Teach You”, which appears to mock protesters who have taken to the streets against the dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The song, performed by the five-piece group Galasy ZMesta, was chosen by Belarus’s national broadcaster to compete in the Netherlands in May, rather than by a public vote as other entries have been in recent years. Galasy ZMesta have been vocal...

Article content MOSCOW — A rumbling political crisis in Belarus spilled over into the Eurovision Song Contest this week, as the country’s state broadcaster nominated a band that has released songs mocking protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. Featuring lyrics such as “I will teach you to toe the line,” the entry has sparked a backlash from opposition figures and fueled calls by a European Parliament lawmaker for Belarus to be suspended from the popular competition. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or 'Toe the line': Belarusian E...

Organisers have asked Belarus to submit another song entry or risk disqualification, saying the original track "puts the non-political nature of the Contest in question".