Protests and an expulsion: The controversy and chaos in Malmo ahead of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest
Consistently billed by organisers as non-political, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest had become mired in controversy before the first act even took to stage
As thousands protest against Israel’s inclusion while its war in Gaza continues – despite international calls for restraint – organisers resisted pressure to exclude Israel.
While Israeli artist Eden Golan was asked to change lyrics organisers felt referred to Hamas’s deadly 7 October attacks, large protests have continued in Swedish host city Malmo throughout this week.
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Waving Palestinian flags, demonstrators shouted “Eurovision united by genocide” – a twist on the contest’s official slogan “united by music”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously dismissed genocide claims as “outrageous”.
Calls to ban Israel
Ahead of Saturday’s final, between 6,000 and 8,000 people joined a demonstration, according to police estimates.
Security has been ramped up in the city, which expected to welcome 100,000 Eurovision fans on top of the thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters.
More than 10,000 campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, staged a non-violent protest ahead of the semi-final on Thursday.
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Pro-Palestinian protests in Malmo
A smaller group of pro-Israeli supporters, including members of Malmo’s Jewish community, also staged a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, defending Golan’s right to take part in the contest.
This week, former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who is said to be of Palestinian origin, wore a keffiyeh – a traditional scarf that has become a symbol of support – tied around his wrist as he sang.
Organisers at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) put out a statement expressing “regret” over Saade’s actions.
Dutch act expelled
As preparations on the day got into full swing, organisers would be hit with two major blows from two of this year’s hotly-tipped performers.
The first of those came from the Netherlands, with organisers announcing Dutch entry Joost Klein had been expelled from the competition after a complaint by a production worker.
Joost Klein. Pic: AP
According to Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Klein was filmed despite clearly made agreements, just after getting off stage after his performance at Thursday’s semi final.
“This wasn’t respected,” AVROTROS said in a post on social media platform X, adding: “This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera.”
Klein did not touch the camerawoman, according to AVROTROS, who said it found the artist’s penalty “very heavy and disproportionate”.
Irish act calls for ‘urgent attention’
Barely a few hours later, Ireland’s entry Bambie Thug missed the flag parade in the show’s final rehearsal due to a “situation” needing “urgent attention” from organisers.
The singer has previously hit out at Golan competing in the contest and been outspoken about their pro-Palestinian views before becoming the first Irish qualifier since 2018.
Bambie Thug. Pic: Reuters
Irish broadcaster RTE reported that the singer called on organisers to address commentary made on Israeli television before their performance in Tuesday’s semi-final.
They told the broadcaster: “I’m angry with other teams breaching their rules of the EBU, and still being allowed in.
“So there’s definitely a war drum sounding in my heart to push the performance even more than I have done before.”
Earlier this week, Bambie Thug told reporters they had been forced to change writing painted on their body ahead of the semi-final performance.
The 31-year-old said the painted script in Ogham – an early Medieval alphabet – had translated to “ceasefire and freedom”.
‘United by love’
While Bambie Thug missed a chunk of rehearsals, another act used his practice on stage to make a statement.
In an apparent reference to Eurovision’s motto, French contestant Slimane stopped mid-way through his rehearsal to say “united by music, yes, but for love, for peace”.
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His chant appeared to be met with a loud round of applause in the auditorium.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Alessandra Mele, who was scheduled to award her country’s points during the show, withdrew due to the “inflamed situation in Malmo this year”, according to broadcaster NRK.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?
This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
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