A group of Dutch Eurovision Song Festival fans have launched a campaign against tv company Tros which has named the man behind the blue-faced Smurfs as the writer of this year’s Dutch entry.

Until now, there has always been a national competition to find the best song, and the fans say Tros is undemocratic, only interested in its own viewers and undermining support for the event.
Pierre Kartner, alias Father Abraham, enjoyed major success in Europe with songs about the Smurfs in the late 1970s. The composer, who is 74, was asked by Tros to write a song for this year’s contest – in Dutch. The singer of Ik Ben Verfliefd Sha-La-Lie (I’m in love) will be chosen on February 7.
The Netherlands last won the contest in 1975 with Teach In and Ding a Dong and has failed to qualify for the finals for the past five years.