Sweden gears up for Eurovision final amid Israel protests and Dutch controversy

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

MALMO, Sweden (Reuters) -Swedish host city Malmo is gearing up for Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final, normally a festival of catchy songs and tongue-in-cheek kitsch, amid protests over Israel’s participation and controversy over the Dutch contestant.

The 68th version of the contest, which is always billed as non-political, is taking place against the backdrop of protests over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas’ deadly attacks on Oct. 7.

Adding to the tension, Dutch singer Joost Klein was not allowed to participate in either of Friday’s two rehearsals following an “incident”, organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a statement on Friday.

It is not clear if he will be allowed to compete in Saturday evening’s grand final.

Swedish police said on Saturday a man had been questioned for threatening a Eurovision employee inside Malmo Arena following the competition’s second semi-final on Thursday.

The person has not been detained, police said, adding the matter had been referred to a prosecutor. Police declined to comment on whether the man was a Eurovision contestant. The prosecutor’s office did not reply to a request for comment.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS said that a woman had filed a complaint against Klein, citing Swedish police. A representative for Klein did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bookmakers have Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purišić, 28, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, a song about a young man who leaves home aspiring to become a “city boy” with better opportunities, as front-runner to win the contest.

Israeli solo artist Eden Golan, 20, and her song “Hurricane” also qualified for Saturday’s final, with betting odds on Friday showing her as one of the leading contenders too.

The list of favourites also includes Swiss rapper and singer Nemo, 24, performing “The Code”, a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock tune, about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.

Other nations high on betting list include France, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and Ireland, while streaming data from Spotify (NYSE:) has also suggested a chance for host nation Sweden.

THRUST INTO POLITICAL CONFLICT

Billed as a feel-good celebration of European diversity, this year’s contest has been thrust into the political spotlight with protesters – online and on the streets of Malmo – calling for Israel to be excluded from the competition.

Eurovision organisers have resisted such calls, but demanded that Israel tweak the lyrics of its original entry to remove what they said were references to the Oct. 7 attack.

Some booing was heard from the crowd before, during and after Golan’s performance in the semi-finals on Thursday, but there was also applause and Israeli flags being waved, according to a Reuters journalist in the auditorium.

In central Malmo, more than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, staged a non-violent protest ahead of the semi-final, waiving Palestinian flags and shouting “boycott Israel”.

A smaller group of pro-Israeli supporters, including members of Malmo’s Jewish community, also staged a peaceful demonstration in the city, defending Golan and her right to take part in the contest.

More demonstrations are planned for Saturday and again expected to draw thousands of protesters. There will also be an alternative music festival in the city that has billed itself as the “genocide-free song contest”.

Protesters have complained of double standards as the EBU banned Russia from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

“Of course people want to express their own opinions and stuff like that. But for us, you know, it’s just a dream and an honour to be a part of Eurovision,” Marcus Gunnarsen, of duo Marcus & Martinus, which is representing Sweden, told Reuters.

“So we haven’t focused too much on that and just know that Eurovision is about, you know, uniting people and having a party and having a good time together.”