Protesters gather at Eurovision, opposing Israel’s participation

Pro-Palestinian protesters amassed during the Eurovision song contest this week in Malmo, Sweden, asking for a ceasefire in Gaza and demonstrating against the involvement of Israel on Thursday.

Thousands of protesters chanted, “Eurovision shame on you! Blood is on your hands too!” and marched through the streets during the run-up to the semifinals of the contest, according to the Washington Post.

Israel’s entrant into the contest is singer Eden Golan, who will perform the song “Hurricane” at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday during the contest’s semifinals. During a dress rehearsal, protesters shouted “Free Palestine!” at Golan and booed.

Sweden has been preparing for the protests, according to Metro, and the outlet included a statement from the European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, that reads, “While we strongly support freedom of speech and the right to express opinions in a democratic society, we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest.”

Several entrants have supported boycotting the event, and some performers have been disciplined for attempting to express political sentiments during what the EBU considers a nonpolitical event, according to the BBC.

Irish contestant Bambie Thug was forced to remove the messages “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” from her face and leg, both written in the ancient Irish language Ogham, while outrage was caused by opening performer Eric Saade wrapping a kaffiyeh around his wrist, according to the outlet. Saade had not worn the kaffiyeh during rehearsals.

The song Golan will be performing, “Hurricane,” was originally called “October Rain,” but the name was changed to avoid inferences to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and led to at least 250 hostages being taken by the terrorist group.

According to the Washington Post, Golan is Israeli, having been born in Kfar Saba, her father is Ukrainian, and until the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years ago, she had been a rising pop star in Russia, originally as lead singer of the girl group Cosmos Girls. The outlet further reported that she won the spot as Israel’s representative in Eurovision by performing on a TV show, Rising Star, in February.

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“I feel really sorry for Eden Golan,” Danish fan Louise Jensby told the outlet. “She’s just a 20-year-old. She isn’t responsible for what’s going on.”

Protesters have also organized what they call “FalastinVision, the Genocide-Free Song Contest,” for Saturday.