Eden Golan reportedly receives death threats ahead of Eurovision
Israel’s Eurovision singer Eden Golan has been reportedly receiving death threats following the Israel-Hamas war.
Golan received death threats directly to her Instagram account, Walla Celebs recently learned, with her associates saying that she will be harmed even before she goes on the big stage.
“I took into account that I would also receive such comments on Instagram,” Golan said. “I feel confident and determined to represent Israel in the best possible way. Our delegation travels with a trained security team, and I am sure they will do their best job to protect us.”
Golan, who will be singing the song “Hurricane,” and the Israeli delegation accompanying her, will have three times the number of the usual contingent of security guards for
the competition taking place next month in Malmo, Sweden. Local security is expected to be high as well.
Israel’s National Security Council has already warned Israelis planning to travel to Malmo not to flaunt their identity.
According to Walla, Golan reportedly began to express her fears to her family and friends. “She is one of the most professional and goal-oriented singers you will know,” Walla quoted a close friend of the singer as saying, “but it is impossible not to say that the threats she receives directly on her Instagram – and these are threats – are throwing her off balance.”
Another friend of the singer said, “This will stop her from giving her best performance and representing Israel with respect, especially at this time. Her parents will also hire additional personal security guards at their own expense to protect themselves.”
Meanwhile, The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of the Eurovision contest, alluded to the threats in a statement issued on Tuesday, stating that it can’t accept “the targeted social media campaigns against some of our participating artists.”
Some participants have faced online campaigns calling on them to drop out over Israel’s inclusion, with nine of them releasing a statement last month urging “an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages,” while rejecting a boycott.
Jean Philip De Tender, the EBU’s deputy director, said that the decision to include Israel “is the sole responsibility of the EBU’s governing bodies” and “we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists.”
Swedish public broadcaster SVT, which is organizing the event together with the EBU, said it was preparing for disturbances surrounding Golan’s performance.
“We are planning for all sorts of scenarios,” executive producer Ebba Adielsson told AFP. “We are absolutely prepared for the fact that there will be demonstrations outside the arena so we are planning for that, and also inside the arena of course.”
Malmo is hosting the event after Swedish singer Loreen won the 2023 contest.