Thousands outside Eurovision final in Malmo protest Israel’s participation
Greta Thunberg escorted away; police say 6,000-8,000 take part in demonstration; Israel’s Eden Golan, repeatedly booed at rehearsals, among favorites
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThousands of people protested in Malmo on Saturday against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, as the event final was held at the Malmo Arena.
Eurovision organizers, who always bill the annual event as non-political, resisted calls to exclude Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza, but requested that the lyrics of Israel’s entry be changed to remove what organizers called references to the deadly Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered the war.
Israel’s Eden Golan was among the favorites to win, with her song “Hurricane,” and told interviewers that “it’s truly such an honor to be here on stage, performing and showing our voice and representing us with pride and making it to the finals.”
Loud boos were heard from the crowd in Malmo when Golan rehearsed on stage for the last time on Saturday before performing in the Eurovision final. Golan was also booed during her rehearsal on Friday.
A large crowd of protesters gathered on the central square of the Swedish host city before marching toward the contest venue, waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Eurovision united by genocide” — a twist on the contest’s official slogan “United by music.”
“It’s important to show, like, we are going to stand on the right side for everyone. This could be any other country and we would still be standing here because this is about children, men and women who have been occupied for so many years,” said one protester, Maryam, who gave only her first name.
BREAKING:
Greta Thunberg detained by the police after joining a large group of anti-Israel protesters clashing with the Swedish police.
The violence is taking place near Malmö Arena where the Eurovision Song Contest just started.
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— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 11, 2024
Police estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 people joined the demonstration.
Later Saturday evening, police pushed back more than a hundred demonstrators outside the arena, who were waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine.” Many of them linked arms and lay on the ground as police tried to remove them.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among the demontrators but stayed clear of the altercations between the most aggressive protesters and the large police contingent.
She sat with other activists in a circle, but was later escorted away by police.
The final, the culmination of the festival of catchy songs, gaudy costumes and tongue-in-cheek kitsch, kicked off at 10 p.m. Israel time (1900 GMT).
BREAKING:
Happening right now in Malmo, Sweden.
Absolutely MASSIVE pro-Palestine protest opposing Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
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— sarah (@sahouraxo) May 11, 2024
There have been increasingly vocal protests abroad against the war with Hamas, including on US college campuses in recent weeks.
In Malmo, French singer Slimane halted his rehearsal act on Saturday to say it had been a childhood dream of his to sing for peace.
“We need to be united by music,” Slimane said, referring to the official Eurovision slogan, followed by cheering from the crowd in the auditorium.
More than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including Thunberg, staged a protest ahead of the semi-final on Thursday.
A smaller group of pro-Israel supporters, including members of Malmo’s Jewish community, also staged a demonstration on Thursday, defending Israeli solo artist Eden Golan, 20, and her right to take part in the contest.
Some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 people taken hostage in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country will not stop the war until Hamas is eliminated.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 34,000 people in the Strip have been killed in the fighting, a figure that has not been independently verified, does not distinguish between combatants and civilians and includes some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
In another Eurovision controversy this year, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was expelled on Saturday from the competition final after a complaint by a member of the production crew, the EBU said.
“While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him ([oost] to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said in a statement.
A representative for Klein did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Klein was filmed despite clearly made agreements, just after getting off stage after his performance at Thursday’s semi-final.
“This wasn’t respected,” AVROTROS said in a post on social media platform X, adding “This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera.”
Klein did not touch the camerawoman, according to AVROTROS, who said it found the artist’s penalty “very heavy and disproportionate.”
A Dutch fan, Frank Zwarthoed, said: “We are very, very, very disappointed…And it’s not good for the for the joy, we have in all the Dutch fans here that are present.”
Dutch viewers will still be allowed to vote for other contestants and the Dutch jury result will still be included in the final, the EBU has said.
Bookmakers have Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purišić, 28, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, as front-runner to win the contest, followed by Golan, with “Hurricane.”
Some booing was heard from the crowd before, during and after Golan’s performance in the semi-finals on Thursday, but there was also applause and Israeli flags being waved.
The Times of Israel Community.