After concerts and rehearsals against the backdrop of demonstrations against the war in Gaza, the Eurovision song contest will rock Malmö, where representatives of 26 countries will compete on Saturday to succeed Sweden. Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine are favorites for this great annual mass of kitsch, followed in 2023 by 162 million people.
Several thousand demonstrators – 30,000 according to the organizers, 5,000 according to the police, according to figures reported by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet – are protesting against the participation of Israel which will try to place itself for the final that day. The environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, notably participated in this gathering.
Inside the Malmö Arena, the organization has, as usual, banned any flags other than those of the participants as well as any banners with a political message. But the neutrality of the platform was shaken on Tuesday, during the first semi-final, by the Swedish singer Éric Saade who, in the number opening the competition, wore a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headdress, around his arm. A gesture regretted by the EBU and Swedish public television SVT, who claim the apolitical nature of this popular meeting.
For fans – the city expects up to 100,000 visitors, “it’s what’s on stage that’s important: the contributions, the artists and the music, and not politics,” insists the history of ideas professor , Andreas Önnerfors, Eurovision specialist. Almost seventy years old, Eurovision is “a demonstration of European tolerance that we do not find in other forms or in other places”, he underlines. However, for Ukrainian artists, “politics is everywhere”.
This year, the conflict in Ukraine has been overshadowed by the war in Gaza, sparked on October 7 when Hamas commandos carried out an attack on Israel that left more than 1,170 people dead, mostly civilians, according to a report by the AFP established from official Israeli data. In response, the Israeli army launched an offensive in Gaza, which has killed 34,844 people so far, according to the Hamas health ministry.
“It is not fair. In my opinion, if they can exclude Russia, why can’t they do it for Israel, asks Marwo Mustafa, a young demonstrator in her twenties. In 2022, Russian broadcasting companies were excluded from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
“There must be demonstrations, people must express their opinions, people must boycott,” assures AFP Magnus Børmark, candidate for Norway with his group Gåte, who, like eight other participants, publicly called for a cease. -long-lasting fire. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, known for her pro-Palestinian positions, was in the procession, alongside many families. “At six and nine, my children are now at an age where they want to watch Eurovision but this year we are boycotting completely,” says Cecilia Brudell, 31.
Representatives of some countries had once considered boycotting the competition to protest Israel’s presence, but did not follow through. “The first days of Eurovision week were calm. We are investigating a case of alleged incitement to racial hatred,” notes police spokesperson Jimmy Modin.
Police officers from all over Scandinavia
While Sweden raised its alert level last year after acts of desecration of the Koran, “we can obviously never exclude the possibility that something will happen, but there is no threat directed against the Quran. ‘Eurovision,’ he insists. Police officers came from all over Sweden but also from Denmark and Norway to reinforce local numbers.
Within the Jewish community, some plan to leave the city for the weekend. “With Eurovision, there is a sort of intensification. The feeling of insecurity increased after October 7, many Jews are worried,” explains a spokesperson, Fredrik Sieradzki.
“I can’t really look forward to Eurovision, although in principle we think, as a congregation, that it is good that everyone is welcome here in Malmö, including Israel,” he sums up. -he. “But we preferred that it not expose us to anything.” According to him, the numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations did not, however, give rise to calls directly targeting the city’s Jews. Security around the synagogue has nevertheless been reinforced.
On social networks, threats were made against the singer representing Israel, Eden Golan. She participates in the second semi-final on Thursday with the hope of obtaining a ticket for the final on Saturday at 9 p.m. “I’m not naive, I know what’s going on in the world,” she declared this Thursday. “Music speaks its own language,” she added.
At the same time, activists will organize the first edition of Falastinvision, a musical competition in solidarity with the Palestinians.