Protests Against Israel at Eurovision

Thousands of demonstrators, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the streets of Sweden's Malmo to protest against Israel's participation in Eurovision.

This year's Eurovision song contest opened in the southern city, with the grand finale, but the war in Gaza is looming over the festivities.

More than 10,000 people gathered in Malmo's main square before marching through the city's central pedestrian shopping street, according to police estimates.

Alongside signs that read: "Liberate Palestine", banners that said "EUR legitimises genocide" and "colonialism cannot be washed in pink" could be seen in the crowd.

About 50 protesters made it to the front of the Malmo Arena, where the event is taking place, before being dispersed by a heavy police presence. Protesters also entered the Eurovision Village, where spectators can follow the concert on large screens.

In a different neighborhood, about 100 counter-protesters gathered under police protection to express their support for Israel.

In 2022, Russia's state broadcaster was excluded from the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees Eurovision, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

Israel's entry, "Hurricane" by singer Eden Golan, will compete in the semi-final.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Golan good luck and said she had "already won" by enduring the protests that he called a "horrible wave of anti-Semitism".

Since the beginning of the year, several petitions have demanded Israel's exclusion from the 68th edition of the annual music competition.

At the end of March, contestants from nine countries, including Swiss favorite Nemo, called for a lasting ceasefire.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.