MALMÖ, Sweden: Israel qualified for this weekend’s Eurovision song contest grand finale as thousands of demonstrators marched through Sweden’s Malmo on Thursday to protest its participation over the Gaza war.
Singer Eden Golan performed her song “Hurricane” in Thursday’s second semifinal without incident in front of 9,000 spectators at the Malmo Arena and booked her place in Saturday’s final after a televote.
Earlier in the day, more than 10,000 people including climate activist Greta Thunberg gathered in Malmo’s main square before marching through the southern city’s central pedestrian shopping street, according to police estimates.
“I am a Eurovision fan and it breaks my heart, but I’m boycotting,” 30-year-old protester Hilda, who did not want to provide her surname, told AFP.
“I can’t have fun knowing that Israel is there participating when all those kids are dying. I think it’s just wrong.”
Alongside signs that read: “Liberate Palestine,” banners that said “EUR legitimizes 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.
Earlier Thursday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday wished Golan good luck and said she had “already won” by enduring the protests that he called a “horrible wave of anti-Semitism.”
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, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 128 of them remain in Gaza, including 36 who officials say are dead.
Israel in response vowed to crush Hamas and launched a military offensive that has killed at least 34,904 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Protests calling for an end to Israel’s punishing Gaza campaign have broken out on university campuses in North America, Europe and Australia.
In 2022, Russia’s state broadcaster was excluded from the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees Eurovision, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
“I feel like if they can remove Russia why can they not do it to Israel?” said protester Marwo Mustafa.
“Hurricane” has already been partially re-written and given a new title after Eurovision organizers deemed the original version to be too political.
Since the beginning of the year, several petitions have demanded Israel’s exclusion from the 68th edition of the annual music competition, which opened with the first semifinal on Tuesday.
At the end of March, contestants from nine countries, including Swiss favorite Nemo, called for a lasting ceasefire.
Protester Cecilia Brudell told AFP: “At six and nine, my children are now at an age where they want to watch Eurovision but this year we are completely boycotting it.”
Israel qualifies for Eurovision final amid protest about its participation
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Israel qualifies for Eurovision final amid protest about its participation
- Israeli PM Netanyahu wished Golan good luck and said she had “already won” by enduring the protests
Cambodia says Thailand bombs casino hub on border
- The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing around 800,000
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia said Thailand’s military on Thursday bombed the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes.
Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at around 11:00 am (0400 GMT) Thursday, the Cambodian defense ministry said in a statement.
Thailand has not yet confirmed any strike on Poipet — a bustling casino hub popular with Thai gamblers.
The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing around 800,000, officials said.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting and traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Thailand said Tuesday that between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai nationals remained stranded in Poipet after Cambodia closed its land border crossings with its neighbor.
Cambodia’s interior ministry said the border closures were a “necessary measure” to reduce risks to civilians amid the ongoing combat, adding that air travel remained an option for those seeking to leave.
At least four casinos in Cambodia have been damaged by Thai strikes, the interior ministry said this week.
- ‘Shuttle-diplomacy’ -
Five days of fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July killed dozens of people before a truce was brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia, and then broken within months.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly intervened in the long-standing conflict this year, claimed last week that the two countries had agreed to a new ceasefire.
But Bangkok denied any truce had been agreed, and fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets has continued daily since a border skirmish earlier this month sparked the latest round of conflict.
China said it was sending its special envoy for Asian affairs to Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday for a “shuttle-diplomacy trip” to help bridge the gaps and “rebuild peace.”
“Through its own way, China has been working actively for deescalation,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement late Wednesday.
Foreign ministers from ASEAN regional bloc nations are due to meet on Monday in Malaysia for emergency talks aimed at finding a diplomatic solution.
“Our duty is to present the facts but more important is to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told journalists late Wednesday.
“We are appealing to them to immediately stop this frontline offensive and if possible, an immediate ceasefire,” Anwar said at his official residence in Putrajaya, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the talks.
European Commission vice president Kaja Kallas said in a statement that she had spoken with the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand on Wednesday, offering the European Union’s support for ceasefire monitoring with satellite imagery.
“The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia must not be allowed to spiral further. That’s why the ceasefire needs to be immediately restored,” Kallas said.
