In the streets of Malmö, which has the largest community of Palestinian origin in the country, some 2,000 to 3,000 people, according to an initial estimate from the AFP team on site, gathered peacefully on Saturday to protest against the presence of Israel in the competition.
“We are not against Eurovision, but against Israel’s participation in Eurovision. We don’t want his representative in Malmö because of what’s happening in Gaza,” summarized Ingemar Gustavsson, a Swedish retiree.
According to the Norwegian newspaper VGPortugal, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are currently discussing and would consider withdrawing from the competition… Furthermore, several countries are still not presented at the flag ceremony, including Ireland, Switzerland and Greece.
The atmosphere is one of gigantic drama!
It’s a big night for Slimane and all the Eurovision candidates. But the artists do not experience a final day of calm preparation. Numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations punctuated the week to protest against Israel’s presence in the competition.
Furthermore, this Saturday, Dutch candidate Joost Klein was excluded from the competition after an altercation with a camerawoman.