Eurovision kicking off with pop, protests as war on Gaza casts shadow

Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicks off in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.

Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond will take the stage on Tuesday in the first of two semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo.

It and a second semifinal on Thursday will winnow a field of 37 nations to 26 who will compete in Saturday’s final against a backdrop of both parties and protests.

Among the 15 acts performing Tuesday are Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna, whose infectious electro number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is the current favourite to win, and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, flying the flag for their war-battered nation with the anthemic “Teresa & Maria.”

Other bookmakers’ favourites include Swiss singer Nemo, goth-style Irish singer Bambie Thug, Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and the Netherlands’ Joost Klein with the playful pop-rap song “Europapa.”

Security is tight in the Swedish city, which expects an influx of some 100,000 Eurovision fans, along with tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Israel is a Eurovision participant, and demonstrations are planned on Thursday and Saturday against its war on Gaza, which has left almost 35,000 Palestinians dead.

Israeli entry

Organisers told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border October 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis.

The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.

Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director-general of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union, told Sky News that banning Israel “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”

Eurovision’s motto is “United by Music,” but national rifts and political divisions often cloud the contest despite organizers’ efforts to keep politics out.

Flags and signs are banned, apart from participants’ national flags and the rainbow flag. That means Palestinian flags will be barred inside the Malmo Arena contest venue.

Performers are feeling political pressure, with some saying they have been inundated with messages on social media urging them to boycott the event.

One person who knows how Eurovision unity can collide with bitter reality is singer Manizha Sangin, who represented Russia at the contest in 2021. The country was expelled the following year over its invasion of Ukraine.

Manizha, who performs under her first name, spoke out against the war. As a result, her performances were canceled in Russia and her music banned from public spaces. The singer remains in Russia but has found it all but impossible to work.

“People are afraid to work with me here because they’re afraid to have consequences after, problems after that,” she said.

“Music cannot stop war,” she added. But “what music can do is inspire people.”