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Questioned by Le Parisien on the middle finger of The Zarra candidate for the France au Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Marie Myriam, former winner of the competition, did not mince her words:
This gesture from La Zarra at the end of the evening because she didn't win is really shocking. Watch the video, it’s a middle finger! And it was seen by nearly 200 million viewers. What a shame! I am extremely disappointed because this is just not possible. She made this gesture sitting in an armchair with French flags behind her. France does not deserve this! She justifies herself by saying that this gesture expresses a disappointment in Moroccan culture, but it will launch a racist controversy that we really don't have. I know exactly the stress we feel before singing, when we count the points, the tension that builds... But nothing explains why we slip up! By expressing her discontent, her disappointment, with this vulgar gesture, she put gray on her image, she who was all sunny with this red, this black, her magnificent hat.
Mary Miriam
