On the day of the semi-final in Sweden, the war in Gaza overshadowed the competition

After concerts and rehearsals against the backdrop of anti-war demonstrations in Gaza, the Eurovision Song Contest will rock Malmö, where representatives of 26 countries compete, on Saturday, to succeed Sweden. Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine are the countries of choice for this large annual mass of kitsch, followed in 2023 by 162 million people.

Right: Malmö Square, where it’s all neon lights, sparkling fashions and catchy tunes. Front side: The continuous ballet of heavily armed police officers on patrol between the medals.

Throughout the city, brightly colored pompoms and banners clash with Palestinian flags hanging from windows and balconies. Up to 30,000 demonstrators are expected to demonstrate on Thursday against the participation of Israel, which will try to reach the final.

Neutrality was shaken

Inside Malmö Stadium, the organization, as usual, banned any flags other than those of the participants, as well as any banners carrying a political message. Last year, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition, banned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from speaking there.

But the neutrality of the platform was shaken on Tuesday, during the first semi-final, by Swedish singer Eric Saadeh, who wore a keffiyeh around his wrist in his first appearance in the competition. It is a gesture regretted by the European Broadcasting Union and Swedish public television SVT, which claim the apolitical nature of this popular meeting.

For the audiences – for which the city expects up to 100,000 visitors – “what is important is what is shown on stage: the contributions, the artists and the music, not the politics,” insists professor of the history of ideas Andreas Unerfors, a Eurovision specialist. He stressed that the nearly seventy-year-old Eurovision contest is “evidence of European tolerance that we do not find in other forms or in other places.”

“Politics everywhere”

However, for Ukrainian artists, “politics is everywhere.” This year, the war in Gaza has been overshadowed by the conflict in Ukraine, which began on October 7 when Hamas commandos carried out an attack on Israel that killed more than 1,170 people, most of them civilians. More than 250 people have been kidnapped and 128 remain detained in Gaza, 36 of whom are believed dead, according to the army.

“There must be demonstrations, people must express their opinions, people must boycott,” emphasizes Magnus Bormark, a candidate for Norway with his group Get, who, like eight other participants, has publicly called for a sustainable ceasefire.

Representatives of some countries had once considered boycotting the competition in protest against the Israeli presence, but they did not follow through.

“The first days of Eurovision week were quiet. We are investigating a case of alleged incitement to racial hatred,” says police spokesman Jamie Modine.

Although Sweden raised the alert level last year after acts of desecration of the Qur’an, “obviously we cannot rule out the possibility that something may have happened, but there is no threat directed against the Qur’an.” Eurovision insists. Police officers came from all over Sweden but also from Denmark and Norway to boost local numbers.

‘A lot of Jews are worried’

Some within the Jewish community are planning to leave the city for the weekend. “With Eurovision, there is a kind of intensification. The feeling of insecurity increased after October 7, which made many Jews feel anxious,” explains spokesman Fredrik Sieradzki.

“I can’t really look forward to Eurovision, although, in principle, we think, as a group, that it is good that everyone will be welcomed here in Malmö, including Israel,” he sums up. “But we preferred that this not expose us to anything.” According to him, the numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations did not spark calls directly targeting the city’s Jews. However, security around the synagogue has been beefed up.

Threats were made on social media against the singer who represents Israel, Eden Golan. It participates in the second semi-final on Thursday, hoping to obtain a ticket to the final on Saturday at 9 pm.