Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators protested in Malmo, Sweden on Thursday against Israel’s competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Protesters waving green, white, black and red Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several miles from the Eurovision venue.

Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part. Among those in the crowd was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The march took place at the same time as Israel’s entrant – 20-year-old Eden Golan – was taking part in the final dress rehearsal for the second Eurovision semi-finals, in the Malmo arena.

During the march – which included families with young children, and people with dogs and bicycles – smoke canisters in the colours of the Palestinian flag were set off, with some protesters carrying signs displaying images of Gaza civilians who have been injured amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.

There was also a banner done in the style of Eurovision with the word “genocide” on it – an accusation vigorously denied by Israel amid the war with Hamas.

Security in Malmo is high, and extra police have been drafted in from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

During an earlier rehearsal on Tuesday, Golan was met with boos and cries of “Free Palestine,” and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.

The EBU has said only flags that represent countries taking part, and the rainbow flag, can be brought to the event.

They have said they will remove any other “flags, symbols, clothing, items and banners being used for the likely purpose of instrumentalising the TV shows”.

The 20-year-old singer performed her song Hurricane while flanked by five backing dancers and centred around a large wheel-like prop in the centre of the stage.

Earlier lyric changes

The song has been tweaked three times, after an initial version titled October Rain was ruled too political by the EBU who believed some lyrics referred to the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

Some still believe that some lyrics in the current song – including “Dancin’ in the storm… I’m still broken from this hurricane,” still refer to attacks which killed over 1,000 people and resulted in hundreds of hostages being taken.

In the run-up to the competition – which is the world’s largest live music event – there have been calls for Israel to be banned over their ongoing ground offensive in Gaza.

However, the EBU – which says it is an apolitical organisation – has ruled that Israel can take part as they say it has not broken any broadcasting rules.

The EBU has also condemned harassment and abuse of artists competing in the show and said they form no part of the decision-making process. As it stands no performer has withdrawn from the contest.

More than 34,000 people have been killed, and over 77,000 have been injured in Gaza since the conflict began, according to Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry.

The second-semi finals

The run-through came ahead of the second semi-final this evening, which will choose the final 10 acts to go into the Grand Final.

Other acts taking part in the semi-final tonight include Norway’s Gate, San Marino’s band Megara, Switzerland’s Nemo and Danish entrant Saba, – all of whom called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the “safe return” of Israeli hostages in a joint statement in March.

The UK’s act, Olly Alexander, and Ireland’s Bambie Thug were also part of the joint statement. Both performed in the first semi-final on Tuesday and will be performing in the final.

The artists rejected calls from Palestinian groups to boycott the music contest, saying they “firmly believe in the unifying power of music”.

Golan, who has been performing since she was nine years old, left Israel when she was six to live in Russia with her family, but returned when she was 18.

She told ITV News she could not have asked “for a better year to be representing my country” earlier this week.

The Grand Final will see 26 countries battle it out on Saturday night.

Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the contest as it happens.

FIFA has been warned of a threatened mass revolt and legal action by the world’s footballers and leagues over its new men’s Club World Cup amid welfare concerns.

A letter has been sent by global players’ union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Forum to FIFA president Gianni Infantino demanding the 32-team competition is not played as planned in June and July next year.

Chelsea and Manchester City have qualified for the event, lined up for the United States as part of Mr Infantino’s expansion of FIFA competitions. The union fears this has congested the calendar and endangered the health of players.

Sky News revealed in December concerns from players in England that they are being asked to play too many games with a threat of legal action against football authorities.

That has now been stepped up to the global level ahead of key FIFA meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, next week.

FIFPRO Acting General Secretary Stephane Burchkalter and WLA counterpart Jerome Perlemuter wrote to Mr Infantino last week to warn legal advice has been commissioned ahead of potential action against FIFA to force them to resolve concerns.

In a letter obtained by Sky News, they wrote: “We shall be compelled to advise our members on the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to proactively safeguard their interests.”

FIFA, the governing body for world football, has also expanded the World Cup for national teams – growing from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition in North America.

The FIFPRO and WLF letter added: “FIFA has continually and consistently made unilateral decisions that benefit its own competitions and commercial interests, while negatively affecting national leagues and players.

“Over a significant period, FIFA has ignored repeated attempts by leagues and unions to engage on this issue.

They added: “As a result of FIFA’s recent strategy of expanding its own competitions, the calendar is now beyond saturation, to the point that national leagues are unable to properly organise their competitions, resulting in economic harm, whereas players are being pushed beyond their limits, with significant injury risks and impacts on their welfare and fundamental rights.

“Leagues and players cannot simply be expected to ‘adapt’ to FIFA’s decisions, which are driven by FIFA’s business strategy.

“We have reached the point where this situation must immediately be addressed both from a procedural and substantive perspective.”

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The Club World Cup is set to be staged every four years, replacing the little-regarded annual seven-team event that City won the final version of in December.

After a three-team group stage, there will be another four matches up to the final.

The competition is taking the quadrennial slot used up to 2017 for the now-defunct, eight-country Confederations Cup that served as a World Cup test event.

Sky News has contacted FIFA for comment.

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed Israel will “stand alone” if it has to, after the US threatened to stop sending some weapons to its ally.

The Israeli prime minister said “we shall fight with our fingernails” if needed “but we have much more than fingernails”.

“And with that strength of spirit, with God’s help, together we shall be victorious,” he added.

His remarks in a video statement came after US President Joe Biden vowed to halt offensive weapons supplies to Israel if it attacks the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Follow latest:
Updates on Israel-Hamas war

An unnamed Israeli operation earlier said Israel will press ahead with its operation in Rafah and elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.

And chief armed forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel’s military has the munitions it requires for the operations.

Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks and warplanes have bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, according to the same news agency.

Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also said their fighters fired anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli tanks gathered on the eastern outskirts of the city.

Israel claims four battalions of Hamas fighters are hiding in Rafah, where the population has been swelled by hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge from bombardments elsewhere in the Palestinian territory.

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