ISRAEL’S REAL CHANCE OF A WIN
» Fans query surge in votes » Fears of political influence » Sunak: Protests are ‘wrong’
TONIGHT’S Eurovision Song Contest final has been hit by claims of a phone vote sting amid anger over Israel’s appearance.
The country’s entrant, Eden Golan, shot from odds 50/1 to 8/1 during the second semi-final on Thursday, when results showed she received 39% of the Italian phone vote.
Some fans cried foul over such a high percentage going to one of 16 acts taking part.
Eden, 20, was greeted by boos during rehearsal and has had to have 24-hour protection ahead of her appearance in the final. Despite attempts to remain nonpolitical, the contest in Malmo, Sweden, has been mired in bitter rows over Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.
The death toll in the Strip is thought to have reached 35,000, with Israeli troops set to launch an assault on the city of Rafah.
More than 1,000 Swedish musicians wrote an open letter calling for Israel to be banned.
Ireland’s Bambi Thug was told to remove pro-Palestine messages she had drawn on herself before performing in the first semi-final.
And Sweden’s entrant Eric Saade, who is Palestinian, was censured by the European Broadcast Union for performing with a keffiyeh headdress wrapped around his wrist.
The EBU said: “We regret that Eric
There’s no escaping political arguments this year
EUROVISION EXPERT
chose to compromise the nonpolitical nature of the event.”
Although Eden will perform the song Hurricane, which was originally called October Rain and is said to be about the October 7 attacks, in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages.
Similarly, this year’s song from Ukraine features a section in which fireworks represent missiles and the performers, Jerry Heil and Alyona
Alyona, lie down as though dead. More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed by Russia’s invasion of February 2022, since when Russia has not taken part in Eurovision.
The EBU says Russia was banned for repeatedly using its broadcasting channels as a tool for propaganda.
One Eurovision expert said: “There’s no escaping the political issues this year with both Israel and Ukraine leveraging their participation to make political statements. It’s perhaps surprising that some of these elements have been allowed through.
“It is likely to peak on Saturday night, when it could prove hard for the EBU to maintain control.”
Authorities in Malmo are braced for increased activism after more than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, staged a non-violent protest on Thursday. Pro-Israeli supporters, including members of Malmo’s Jewish community, also staged a peaceful demonstration. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokeswoman said yesterday: “The Prime Minister thinks that these protests are wrong and some of the scenes we’ve seen have been outrageous. There is always the right for peaceful protest. That’s part of democracy.
“But these scenes, and whether it’s right to call for a boycott of their act, no, he thinks that’s wrong.”
UK contestant Olly Alexander was caught up in an anti-Semitism row after signing a letter calling Israel an apartheid regime and condemning “Zionist propaganda”.
He has faced pressure to boycott the competition. He told the BBC: “I understand where that sentiment is coming from but I think it’s not correct. It’s an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on.
“The backdrop to this is actual immense suffering. It’s a humanitarian crisis, a war.
“It just so happens there’s a song contest going on at the same time that I’m a part of.”
Yesterday, Croatia’s Baby Lasagne remained favourite to win with odds of 4/5, followed by Israel.