More protests mark Sweden Eurovision Song Contest

After a run-up in the shadow of the war in Gaza, the Eurovision Song Contest final gets under way tomorrow, with representatives from 26 countries competing.

Up to 30,000 demonstrators are expected to protest against Israel’s participation in the competition over its offensive in Gaza, when the country’s representative Eden Golan takes part in the second semi-final.

Since October, pro-Palestinian rallies have been a regular occurrence in Malmo, which is home to the majority of Sweden’s population of Palestinian origin.

Throughout the port city of more than 360,000 inhabitants, brightly coloured banners compete for attention with Palestinian flags hanging from windows and balconies.

Organisers have banned all flags other than those of the participating countries inside the arena, as well as all banners with a political message.

Last year, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition, banned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from speaking in the arena to protect the neutrality of the event.

This neutrality was challenged on Tuesday during the first semi-final by Swedish singer Eric Saade, who took part in the opening number of the competition wearing a scarf around his arm.

Swedish broadcaster SVT and the EBU condemned his gesture, insisting on the apolitical nature of the popular music festival – which is more often associated with flashy performances.

“There should be demonstrations, people should voice their opinions, people should boycott,” said Magnus Bormark, who is competing for Norway with his group Gate.

Gate, like eight other contestants, have publicly called for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

Representatives of some countries considered boycotting the competition but decided against it in the end.