Sweden braces for a politically charged Eurovision Song Contest: The Guardian

By Andrew Blackman - April 8, 2024
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Eden Golan, Israel’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, looks on during a press conference following the official unveiling of Israel’s song submission, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 10, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Next month’s Eurovision Song Contest could prove to be the most conentious edition of the competition yet, the Guardian reports. Worldwide controversy over Israel’s inclusion in the competition is just one of the challenges facing this year’s host city,Malmö.

  •  Petitions have been circulating demanding that Israel be excluded from the event over the Gaza war, as Russia was after it invaded Ukraine. To make matters worse, the competition is taking place amid heightened terror alerts across Europe, the war in Ukraine and the increased threat from Russia after Sweden joined NATO.
  • “This Eurovision will be the most politically charged ever due to the Israeli war in Gaza and the humanitarian situation there,” Magnus Ranstorp, a terror expert at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, told the Guardian.
  • The tension has been compounded by he fact that it is taking place in Malmö, he added. The city has a strong Palestinian community–many of whom have been attending regular protests against the invasion.
  • SVT, the Swedish broadcaster responsible for this year’s final, hasn’t ruled out an appearance by Abba 50 years after the Swedish pop group won the competition in Brighton.

    You can  read the full report here.