Thousands of people protest this Saturday at the gates of the Malmö Arena, venue of the Eurovision final gala, in Malmö, against Israel’s participation in the Song Festival, due to the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Late in the afternoon, the police confirmed the arrest of seven protesters for public disorder during the protests. Among the activists arrested is environmental leader Greta Thunberg.
Some 10,000 protesters, according to police, gathered in the central square of the Swedish host city before marching towards the site of the contest’s final gala, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Eurovision united by genocide” – a twist on the official motto. of the “United for Music” contest.
“It’s important to show, like, that we’re going to be on the right side for everyone. This could be any other country and we would still be here because these are children, men and women who have been occupied for so many years,” said one protester on Saturday, Maryam, who only gave her first name to Reuters.
The police confirmed having used tear gas and pushed the protesters towards a square where a pro-Palestinian demonstration was authorized, without anyone attending.
“They sprayed tear gas in my face and pushed me,” Sara Bo, 26, told AFP, showing her red eyes.
On Thursday, in the second semi-final, climate activist Greta Thunberg participated in the demonstration in Malmö, which ended up being detained by the local police. This Saturday she was seen again supporting the protest at the Malmö Arena, but she ended up being arrested again shortly before the start of the gala.
The festival’s organizers have resisted calls to exclude Israel, but requested that the lyrics of their entry be changed to remove what organizers called references to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 that sparked the war.
There have been increasing protests abroad against Israel’s war in Gaza, including on US college campuses in recent weeks.
