Chaotic preparation for Eurovision as thousands protest

The Eurovision Song Contest has undergone chaotic preparations ahead of Saturday’s grand final.

The Dutch entry was disqualified, another withdrew from rehearsals and a third broke the rules by giving a speech on stage, calling for peace.

And two former candidates withdrew from announcing the jury scores for their country.

The drama unfolds minute by minute against a backdrop of protests against Israel’s participation in the spectacle.

Before the show, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Malmö, Sweden, where the pageant is taking place.

Some chanted “Eurovision, united by genocide”, reflecting the strength of feeling over the humanitarian toll of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by the deadly Hamas attacks last October.

Eurovision, which has always presented itself as apolitical, has resisted calls to exclude Israel from the competition.

However, they demanded that the country’s singer, Eden Golan, change the lyrics of his entry, titled Hurricane, to remove references to the October 7 attack.

Golan, who is just 20, is under armed guard as she prepares to sing in the competition, with heavy security throughout the host city.

Several other contestants emphasized their opposition to the war between Israel and Gaza, but none withdrew, choosing to stick to the Eurovision slogan, “united by music.”

However, French candidate Slimane broke with protocol during the final dress rehearsal on Saturday afternoon, interrupting his song to deliver an impassioned speech.

“Everyone, I just need to say something,” he told the audience. “All the artists here want to sing about love and sing about peace. We must be united by music, yes, but by love for peace.

“United by music, yes, but by the love of peace,” he repeated. “Thank you very much. Thank you Europe.”

The statement itself may have broken Eurovision rules for political statements.

The BBC contacted the EBU, organizer of the competition, to find out if Slimane could be sanctioned.

Earlier, Irish contestant Bambie Thug withdrew from the dress rehearsal entirely, after complaining about coverage of his performance on Israeli television.

The singer, who is non-binary, said comments made during coverage of his performance in Tuesday’s semi-final broke competition rules.

Israeli television station KAN cited a “controversy” surrounding Bambie Thug’s song, whose lyrics refer to witchcraft and the occult, then noted that the singer had “spoken negatively about Israel.”

“But we can talk about that later,” their commentator said. “Prepare your curses.”

The comment may have been in reference to the lyrics of Bambie Thug’s song, in which they hexed an ex-boyfriend, but the singer felt it crossed the line.

“I’m angry at other teams who are breaking EBU rules and still being allowed in,” they told RTÉ News in Ireland.

“I hope the EBU answers it correctly.”

In a statement, the EBU said: “We spoke about this issue with KAN, the Israeli television channel, and reiterated the importance for all commentators to respect all artists participating in the competition and to comply with the rules and rules of the event.

In a statement on Instagram, Bambie Thug said they were “patiently waiting to hear what action the EBU will take following this rule violation” and that they were “hoping to see you on stage tonight.”

In response, a spokesperson for Israeli broadcaster Kan told the AP: “We wish everyone good luck tonight.”

Eurovision organizers said the singer “missed the dress rehearsal due to a situation which is currently being discussed with the EBU and the organizers of the song competition” and that they “hope this will be resolved soon and Bambie Thug will participate in the Grand Final. show as expected”.

Separately, Dutch competitor Joost Klein was excluded from the competition after an incident backstage on Thursday.

An allegation of bullying has been made to Swedish police by a female member of the production team.

Police said Klein was then questioned for making “unlawful threats” and that the case would be “brought before the prosecutor within a few weeks.”

Eurovision organizers have said “it would not be appropriate for him to continue to participate in the competition” while legal proceedings are ongoing.

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said Klein was filmed behind the scenes despite having “repeatedly indicated” that he did not want to be filmed.

“This caused Joost to make a threatening movement towards the camera. Joost did not touch the camerawoman,” they added, calling the decision to disqualify him “very heavy-handed and disproportionate.”

Videos circulated on social media showing Klein being surreptitiously filmed by the Israeli delegation – but the EBU stressed in its statement that the behind-the-scenes incident “did not involve any other artists or members of the delegation”.

Norwegian media report that jury spokesperson Allesandra Mele withdrew, citing the “fiery situation” in Malmö.

The singer came fourth representing Norway last year with the song Queen of Kings.

In an Instagram video, she said: “United by music – the motto of Eurovision – is why music unites people. But for now, these are just empty words.”

The Finnish jury spokesperson also resigned, writing on Instagram that announcing the country’s points “doesn’t seem fair.”

Kaarija, a finalist in last year’s competition, also withdrew, writing: “I have decided not to participate as a spokesperson for the Finnish jury in tonight’s Eurovision final.

“Giving points doesn’t feel right.”

The Dutch channel added that it would not announce the jury’s scores on television, following the elimination of Joost Klein.

There were also unconfirmed reports that several participants skipped the “parade of flags” sequence from Saturday’s dress rehearsal.

It all marks a bumpy start to what is usually a carefree, kitsch celebration of European music.

The EBU will be on alert for political statements made during the live broadcast, which is watched by more than 160 million people worldwide.

But surreptitious messages have already been broadcast during the semi-finals.

During Tuesday night’s show, Eric Saadé, Sweden’s 2011 Eurovision winner, performed at halftime with a Palestinian keffiyeh wrapped around his wrist.

The musician, who is half-Palestinian, had previously criticized the EBU’s decision to ban Palestinian flags from the arena, alongside the flags of non-competing countries.

The EBU said it “regretted” that Saadé “chose to compromise the apolitical nature” of the contest.

Meanwhile, some audience members booed and turned their backs on the Israeli participant after she performed her song on Thursday.

Italian contestant Angelina Mango told the BBC there was “a lot of tension” behind the scenes.

The controversies have made it “hard to be in the present and enjoy every moment,” she added, “but I don’t want to lose my instinct to make music and make peace in every way “.