Support demonstrations in Gaza, Israeli candidate booed: Malmö under tension 48 hours before Eurovision

Eurovision is not just about songs. If the famous competition has always had a geopolitical dimension since its creation, it has rarely been as exacerbated as this year. At the heart of the tensions which agitate the city of Malmö, in Sweden, 48 hours before the final: the war in Gaza and the presence of the Israeli candidate Eden Golan, denounced by many voices, starting with the local pop star Robyn who launched a petition from Scandinavian artists at the end of January demanding its exclusion.

Supported initially by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) which organizes the event, the representative of the Hebrew State came close to disqualification in February due to the lyrics considered too “political” in the song “October Rain”. , an explicit allusion to the deadly attack of October 7. A new, more “neutral” piece called “Hurricane” was proposed and accepted by the EBU. But the uneasiness has not subsided, on the contrary.

The symbolic gesture of the Swedish candidate

Referring to projects of “anti-Israeli protests“and”calls to attack Jews and Israelis“, Tel Aviv has already advised its nationals against going to Malmö, the port city home to the largest Palestinian community in the entire country. The government recommends that those who go there nevertheless download an application of the army, usually used to prevent bombings, in order to receive notifications in the event of an emergency on site.

It is in this surreal context that singer Eden Golan is preparing to participate in the semi-final this Thursday, in the hope of obtaining a ticket for the final. On Wednesday, during rehearsals at the Malmö Arena, she was heavily booed by part of the audience, as evidenced by videos published on social networks where she is already the target of death threats. Among the bookmakers, she nevertheless arrives in eighth position, however far behind the favorite, the Croatian Baby Lasagna.

Inside the performance hall, the EBU has banned any flag other than those of the participants as well as any banner with a political message, two rules in force for a long time. The fact remains that, from Tuesday, this desire for neutrality was shaken during the first semi-final. Swedish candidate Eric Saade, born to a Lebanese-Palestinian father, indeed wore a keffiyeh around his arm during his performance. A gesture regretted by Swedish public television SVT.

On Wednesday afternoon, a humanitarian ship from the NGO Ship to Gaza, bound for the Palestinian enclave, made a stop in Malmö to show solidarity with the approximately 30,000 demonstrators expected on Saturday to protest against Israel’s participation. Under a strong presence of plainclothes police, around 400 people gathered to welcome him. As D-Day approached, law enforcement came from all over Sweden, but also from Denmark and Norway to reinforce local troops and ensure security around the event.

• Read also

  Eurovision under high tension: reinforced security measures put in place in Sweden

The controversy surrounding the Israeli candidate has almost eclipsed that of the duo who represent Ukraine this year. Two years after the victory of the group Kalush Orchestra, the singers Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil are nevertheless doing well with the bookmakers who put them in third position with their song “Teresa & Maria”. It does not a priori make any allusion to burning news since it is a tribute to Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary.