Marie Myriam critique le geste polémique de La Zarra à l’Eurovision 2021

Marie Myriam, the last Frenchwoman to have won the Eurovision in 1977, has spoken about the attitude of La Zarra, who caused controversy on Saturday with a gesture of frustration, after discovering her score.

La Zarra’s gesture, after the allocation of points during Saturday’s Eurovision broadcast, has caused a stir. Disappointed with the number of points received following her performance of the song “Evidemment”, the Quebec singer made a gesture resembling a middle finger, which shocked many. In Le Parisien, Marie Myriam, the last Frenchwoman to win the contest, in 1977, spoke out on the controversy, and did not mince her words.

“[…] La Zarra’s gesture at the end of the evening because she didn’t win is really shocking,” she said. She went on to say: “Look at the video, it’s a middle finger! And it was seen by nearly 200 million viewers. What a disgrace! I am extremely disappointed because it is simply not acceptable. She made this gesture sitting in a chair with French flags behind her. France does not deserve this!”

La Zarra denies giving the middle finger

On social media, La Zarra responded to the controversy on Sunday, denying that she gave the middle finger, stating that her gesture, a toz, rather expressed a “disappointment that means ‘whatever’ that could be translated as ‘so be it'”.

These explanations did not seem to convince Marie Myriam, who emphasized the lack of fair play from the Quebec singer: “Perhaps she should have been told that she was not sure to come in first. That’s the principle of a competition. If you don’t want to lose, you don’t participate! By expressing her dissatisfaction, her disappointment, with this vulgar gesture, she has tarnished her image, she who was all sunny with these red, black, and her magnificent hat,” she concluded.