Greta Thunberg joins protesters booing Israeli Eurovision entry
Greta Thunberg has joined a large pro-Palestinian protest in Sweden to demonstrate against Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The climate activist, 21, was among thousands of people marching through Malmo, the Eurovision host city, demanding that Israel be taken out of the competition amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The march comes ahead of the Israeli entrant’s first live performance in the competition on Thursday evening. Police vans were present outside the Malmo Arena ahead of the event.
Eden Golan, who is 20, will perform the song Hurricane. She was booed during her dress rehearsal on Wednesday.
In a statement following the rehearsal of her song, Golan said: “I am proud to represent my country, particularly this year. I am receiving support and love and I am determined to give my best performance in the semi-final. and nothing will deter me from that goal.”
Among other slogans, the protesters chanted “Boycott Israel”, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “What is our mission? Israel out of Eurovision!”
A banner in the style of Eurovision’s, reading “genocide”, was held aloft in the middle of the march.
Protesters were stopped from heading down a road of Malmo’s square. They were told to go back by police and, following shouts of “free Palestine”, returned to the main gathering.
Police officers from Sweden, Norway and Denmark have been regularly patrolling the Malmo Arena, the city centre and the Eurovision village amid the threat of protests and disruption.
A pro-Palestinian march will take place on Thursday afternoon, which a spokesman for the force said would cause “disturbance to traffic”. The organisers of the march, which will end at Molleplatsen Park, said it would take place at 3pm.
Golan, 20, will compete against Norway’s Gate, San Marino band Megara, Switzerland’s Nemo and Danish entrant Saba, who called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the “safe return” of Israeli hostages in a joint statement in March.
The artists rejected calls from Palestinian groups to boycott the contest, saying they “firmly believe in the unifying power of music”.
Golan’s track Hurricane was reworked from a previous song called October Rain and renamed after it was thought to reference the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
The contest has so far been plagued by rows over Israel’s participation amid the country’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month.
At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event, expressed “regret” that a Swedish star had taken to the stage wearing a keffiyeh to show his support for Palestinians.
In an Instagram story, Eric Saade explained that the material was a “way of showing a part of my origin” and was a gift as a child from his father, who is of Palestinian origin.
He also said: “I just wanted to be inclusive and wear something that is authentic to me, but the EBU seems to think my ethnicity is controversial. It says nothing about me, but everything about them.”
It has been made clear to attendees and contestants that Eurovision is a non-political event and therefore no political statements are permitted.
Bambie Thug, Ireland’s non-binary entrant, revealed after their performance on Tuesday night that they had been barred from writing “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” on their body.
The EBU also announced last week that it reserved the right to remove any Palestinian flags or pro-Palestine symbols at the contest.
Ticket holders are only allowed to bring and display flags representing countries that are taking part in the event, as well as the rainbow-coloured flag.
In April, the organisers hit out against the “unacceptable and totally unfair” abuse of competitors amid “the backdrop of a terrible war in the Middle East”.
Israel, which performs towards the end of the night on Thursday, has been a strong contender at Eurovision in recent years, last winning with Netta’s Toy in 2018 and qualifying for the final 12 times since 2003.
