Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, the contest has faced calls to remove Israel’s participation [GETTY]
Israel’s set at the Eurovision semi-finals in Austria was met with booing and pro-Palestine chants on Tuesday, as calls to boycott the song contest continue amid Israel’s ongoing siege and bombardment of Gaza and attacks on Lebanon.
The crowd could be heard booing and chanting “stop, stop the genocide” during Noam Bettan’s performance, as some audience members waved Palestinian flags.
An audience member was also removed during the performance, with ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, saying that a member got “close to a microphone” and “loudly expressed their views” as Israel was going to take the stage and during the performance.
ORF, which said it would not censor protests, added that a further three people were also removed for “disruptive behaviour”.
A video shared online shows a security guard forcibly taking a viewer, who had “FREE PALESTINE” written on his back, away while he could be heard chanting “free, free Palestine”.
Israel’s broadcaster Kan received a formal warning after Bettan was filmed urging fans to use all their votes to elect him, Eurovision’s director, Marin Green, confirmed.
Further protests against Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision song contest took place in the Austrian capital Vienna.
Despite Eurovision celebrating its 70th year at this contest, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland withdrew from the competition over Israel’s war on Gaza, marking the biggest-ever political boycott.
Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, the contest has faced calls to ban Israel from participating. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has declined to do so on the grounds that it is politically neutral, but it has banned Russia from performing since 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine.
Over 1,000 musicians and artists also renewed calls last month for participants to boycott the contest over Israel’s involvement.
Last year’s Eurovision saw Israeli singer, Yuval Raphael, finish second to Austria’s winner, JJ, after winning the public vote, triggering speculation that the Israeli government had rigged the vote by running large-scale promotional campaigns.
Eurovision was subsequently forced to tighten its voting rules.
Despite calls for a boycott, Israel, along with Finland, Belgium, and Sweden, has advanced to the final, set for Saturday.
