Eurovision vows tight security at Vienna contest amid tensions over Israel’s participation

Tight security will be enforced at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in May, organizers and police say, following tensions over Israel’s participation.

While no concrete threat has been identified, according to police, 500 security personnel will be deployed to the Stadthalle, the venue hosting the event near the city centre.

“Our top priority is to have a safe event,” Oliver Lingens, director of events at Austrian public broadcaster ORF, tells a press conference.

No bags will be allowed in the venue, while sniffer dogs will be deployed throughout the city, even before the event takes place from May 12 to 16.

Asked whether special security measures would be in place for the Israeli delegation, Lingens declines to comment, saying: “The security of all delegations is obviously very important to us.”

Some countries have vowed to boycott this year’s edition of the world’s biggest live televised music event over Israel’s participation.

Broadcasters from five countries have pulled out of the contest over Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

Vienna is hosting the contest after Austrian artist Johannes Pietsch won last year’s edition in Basel, Switzerland.