Greta Thunberg attended a pro-Palestinian protest in the Swedish Eurovision host city
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (centre) attends a protest against Israel’s participation in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö, Sweden, on May 9, 2024.
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg led a pro-Palestinian protest in the Swedish city of Malmo this Thursday ahead of the Eurovision semi-finals.
Sweden’s third-largest city is preparing to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 final, despite calls from activists to boycott the contest over Israel’s participation.
Speaking from the demonstration, Thunberg said young people are “leading the way” when it comes to the pro-Palestinian protest movement and are “showing the world” how it should respond to the dire situation it fears an Israeli attack on Gaza. The southern city of Rafah is growing by the hour.
News agency footage showed protesters marching silently through the streets, chanting slogans such as “All towards Rafa” and “Eurovision fans against genocide”. A large crowd could also be heard chanting slogans such as “Palestine will live forever” and “Free Palestine”.
“Israel should be disqualified like Russia was disqualified when Russia invaded Ukraine,” protester Matilda Varatta told Reuters that the protesters wanted Eurovision.
“It’s not true that Eurovision is not political, it always has been and always will be. So it’s a false excuse,” Waratah added.
The European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the competition, has stressed the apolitical nature of the event in light of the protests, which has taken tough measures against competitors wearing pro-Palestinian symbols on stage, for example. On Tuesday, Swedish-Palestinian singer Erik Saadeh performed in the first semi-final of A keffiyeh Around his microphone, the event drew condemnation from organizers.
Ireland’s rival, Bambi Tugh, planned a similar feat by inscribing the words “truce” and “freedom for Palestine” on his body in Ockham, an early medieval script used in Ireland. However, the organizers asked the artist to change the message before appearing on stage.
Swedish police had previously said between 25,000 and 30,000 protesters were set to take to the streets of Malmö this Thursday.
Swedish police spokesman Jimmy Modin told Reuters that there will be “many police officers in Malmö this week” to make Eurovision participants feel “safe and secure”.
A huge crowd is expected to fill the Malmö Arena on Thursday night as sixteen nations will feature in the second semi-final, all with a place in Saturday’s final.
