The final of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Malmö, Sweden.

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Croatia and Israel are among the bookies’ favorites to win

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Final held amid protests over Israel’s military action in Gaza

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A demonstration is planned for Saturday in Malmö

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The Grand Final will start at 1900 GMT

By Jacob Grönholt-Pedersen

MALMO, Sweden – The Swedish host city of Malmo is preparing for Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final, normally a festival of catchy songs and sharp wit, amid protests over Israel’s participation and controversy over the Dutch contestant.

The 68th edition of the competition, which is always described as non-political, is taking place against the backdrop of protests over Israel’s military operation in Gaza in retaliation for deadly attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.

Tensions have escalated further after Dutch singer Joost Klein was not allowed to attend two of Friday’s rehearsals after an “incident”, organizer European Broadcasting Union said in a statement on Friday.

It is unclear whether he will be allowed to compete in Saturday evening’s grand final.

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

Police said the man has not been detained and the case has been referred to the prosecutor. Police declined to comment on whether the man was a Eurovision contestant. The prosecutor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

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

The bookies have Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, 28, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, a song about a young man who wants to become a “city boy” with better opportunities while moving back home. That leaves whoever is in the lead to win the competition. ,

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

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

Other countries to top the betting list include France, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and Ireland, while Spotify’s streaming data also suggested a chance for host nation Sweden.

emphasis in political struggle

Promoted as a joyous celebration of European diversity, this year’s contest has been thrust into the political spotlight with protesters online and on the streets of Malmö calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest.

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

Some noise was heard from the crowd before, during and after Golan’s performance in Thursday’s semi-final, but there was also applause and waving of Israeli flags, according to a Reuters journalist in the auditorium.

In central Malmö, more than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, held a non-violent protest before the semi-finals, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Boycott Israel”.

A small group of pro-Israel supporters, including members of Malmö’s Jewish community, also held a peaceful demonstration in the city defending the Golan and its right to participate in the competition.

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

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

“Of course people want to express their opinions and things like that. But for us, you know, being part of Eurovision is just a dream and an honor,” said Marcus Gunnarsson of the duo Marcus & Martinus, who are based in Sweden. are representing, told Reuters.

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

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.