Brave Israeli Eden defies jeers, violence and walk-outs amid Eurovision turmoil
FOR an event always intended as a light-hearted celebration of unity, last night’s Eurovision Song Contest final took place against an unprecedented backdrop of anger and aggression.
Weeks of protests against the inclusion of Israel, focussing intense pressure on its 20-yearold contestant Eden Golan, culminated in a crowd of 15,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators gathering outside the Malmo Arena in Sweden.
Eurovision fans appeared terrified as they queued to enter the arena, facing a gauntlet of protesters angrily confronting them. The crowd screamed: ‘Shame on you’ at one woman carrying an Israeli flag.
Police dragged away some demonstrators as a helicopter hovered overhead. Reinforcements in riot gear rushed to control the protest, kettling many of the protesters in an attempt to keep them away from the main entrance. But they struggled to control the crowd as others arrived to join the protest.
Nor were the tensions confined to the streets, spilling over in to clashes and boycotts by performers, and a series of extraordinary rows behind the scenes. During a day of mounting tension and drama:
M Performers from Ireland, Switzerland and Greece refused to take part in the flag parade during the final rehearsal for the show, which is typically watched by 160million viewers;
● Ireland’s gothic performer Bambie Thug also missed the final dress rehearsal after demanding that Ms Golan be excluded;
● Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said it would not award any points to any contestant after their contestant Joost Klein was disqualified;
● France’s entry, Slimane, interrupted his own rehearsal performance to call for peace;
● Two-time Eurovision winner Loreen, from Sweden, reportedly told producers that she
‘Things have been difficult for her in the last few days’
would refuse to hand over the trophy, as planned, if Ms Golan won;
● Former contestants from Norway and Finland, who were due to announce the points for their respective countries, quit the show;
● Venues across the UK axed Eurovision events after pro-Palestine protest groups instructed followers to target pubs showing the contest.
Ms Golan has become a lightning rod for protest following Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas atrocities of October 7, when more than 1,100 Israelis were killed and 252 taken hostage. She endured protests ahead of last night’s final – being advised to stay in her hotel while in Malmo – and was booed during rehearsals.
She arrived at the Malmo Arena yesterday in an armed convoy, protected by agents from Sweden’s security service and Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency.
She prepared for protests by asking her entourage to boo her and yell ‘Free Palestine’ as she rehearsed her power ballad Hurricane in her dressing room. In the event, there were more cheers than boos when she took to the arena stage.
Despite organisers’ best efforts, the meticulouslyplanned show began to unravel in the build-up to the final. The apparent boycotts began when Bambie Thug, Marina Satti of Greece and Nemo of Switzerland missed the flag parade.
Bambie Thug then missed the final dress rehearsal after saying a
‘situation’ required ‘urgent attention’ from organisers at the European Broadcasting Union. The performer, a nonbinary singer who claims to be a witch, had earlier complained about comments made by Israeli broadcaster Kan.
The channel warned its viewers in Israel that Bambie Thug’s performance would contain ‘voodoo’ and ‘Satanic symbols’ and said the singer liked to ‘talk negatively about Israel.’ Bambie Thug – who had previously called for Israel’s expulsion because of the war in Gaza – claimed the commentary breached Eurovision rules and that Israel should not be allowed to participate in the competition.
Last night, sources revealed Ms Golan had to be moved to another room within the arena to separate them from Bambie Thug, who they described as ‘being mad at Israel’. One source told The Mail On Sunday: ‘The Israeli delegation thought it best to move Eden away from Bambie Thug and the Irish delegation because they don’t want to put any more pressure on her. Things have been difficult enough for her over the past few days.’
Meanwhile, France’s entry Slimane interrupted his own performance to say the contest should be ‘united’ for peace, to rapturous cheers from the audience.
In a further protest, Alessandra Mele, who was supposed to announce Norway’s point allocation, pulled out due to the ‘inflamed situation in Malmo’. This appeared to prompt former Finnish Eurovision competitor Kaarija to do the same, saying: ‘Giving out the points tonight does not feel right.’
Earlier, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was axed from the contest after being quizzed by police over an incident involving ‘a female member of the production crew’.
As the final was about to get under way, dozens of activists locked arms and lay on the ground draped in Palestine flags, leading to clashes with riot police. As protesters screamed pro-Palestinian slogans, loud speakers played a series of Eurovision hits.