In Malmö, thousands of people protested against Israel’s participation. They called for Israel to be excluded from the music competition. Eden Golan, an Israeli artist, has been chosen as a finalist
Thousands of people demonstrated against Israel’s participation before the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö. The police estimated that around 5,000 people came. Originally, 30,000 demonstrators were expected. The slogan of the protest was “Exclude Israel from Eurovision”. The situation was “calm,” police said.
The Eurovision Song Contest as a politically neutral space?
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was also part of the protest. She had previously taken a pro-Palestinian position several times. “It’s great to see that there are so many people here who are committed to Palestine, even if it happens under terrible circumstances,” Thunberg told the Swedish news agency TT. She does not believe that Eurovision is free of political positions.
The dominant chants at the demonstration were “Free Palastine” and the slogan “From the River to the Sea” – which can be interpreted as a call for the destruction of Israel. Some participants shouted explicitly anti-Israel slogans such as “Israel will perish.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was insulted as a murderer. He accused the demonstrators of a “terrible wave of anti-Semitism.”
Call for a boycott of Israel
On the posters, the protesters called for a boycott of Israel and called Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip “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.
There has been criticism of Israel’s participation in the ESC for months. Eden Golan, an Israeli singer, is running for the country. She had to perform on Thursday evening under great security precautions. The two semi-finals are now over, all finalists have been determined. Israel will also be there in the final on Saturday; the audience voted in Golan.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
