In Malmö, despite headwinds, Israel prevailed in the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and was cheered – while there were demonstrations outside the door. Thousands demanded the exclusion of Israel.
Demos in the streets, boos in front of the stage: Israel’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest faced a lot of headwind – but the audience voted singer Eden Golan into the final. She qualified with nine other acts on Thursday evening in Malmö. The artist was greeted with boos and applause during rehearsals. Whistles were sometimes heard when the result was announced. At the show itself, however, there was massive cheering.
During an emotional ballad, Golan danced in a white dress that was visually reminiscent of bandages. Israel’s participation has been highly controversial for months.
Protest against Israeli participation in the ESC
At several demonstrations that day in the southern Swedish city, several thousand people called for the country to be excluded from the competition. Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people joined the demonstrations under the slogan “Exclude Israel from Eurovision.”
The demonstrators used posters to criticize Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocide.” The demonstrators also criticized the European Broadcasting Union EBU because Russia was excluded from the ESC after the attack on Ukraine, but Israel was not, regardless of its actions in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people protest in Malmö against Israel’s participation in the ESC.
Many Palestinians live in Malmö
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is known for her pro-Palestinian positions, also took part in the rally alongside many families.
Malmö is home to the majority of the Palestinian community in Sweden. Pro-Palestinian rallies have been taking place regularly in the city since the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas began more than seven months ago.
There was also a demonstration with music in support of Israel. There will also be another demonstration against Israel’s participation. The police’s security measures in Malmö were significantly increased as planned – with support from Denmark and Norway, among others.
Several participants for the exclusion of Israel
The required neutrality of the music competition had already been demanded by Swedish singer Eric Saade in the first semi-final on Tuesday. He wore a Palestinian scarf on his arm during his performance, which was criticized by the organizers and the Swedish television station SVT. They emphasized the non-political nature of the event, which is best known for its shrill performances.
“There should be demonstrations, people should express their opinions, people should boycott,” said Magnus Bormark, who is running for Norway with his group Gate. Gate, along with other participants, had previously publicly called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.