'Welcome to genocide song contest': How Eurovision split Malmö over Israel’s war on Gaza

At least 10,000 people marched through the streets in Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö, during the second round of Eurovision’s semi-finals on Thursday.

Draped in keffiyehs and Palestinian flags, their message was both loud and clear: boycott Israel and end the war in Gaza.

The timing was carefully chosen; that same evening, Eden Golan, Israel's contribution to the contest, was scheduled to perform at the second semi-final with the song Hurricane.

Critics have been clamouring for months, all over Europe; they want Israel excluded from the contest for its genocidal war on Gaza – the same way Russia was banned in 2022 just a couple of days after launching an attack on Ukraine.

It’s a double standard. Everything Europe and Sweden did for Ukraine, none of that was given to us. But after so many dead, so many children – how can Israel still be supported by the world?

However, according to the European Broadcasting Union [EBU], Israel still fulfils the criteria to participate – a decision that has sparked worldwide outrage.

Many participating in the Malmö-protest came from other cities in Sweden, or nearby Denmark. 

Inside a truck equipped with loudspeakers, 64-year-old Maymouna, born in Gaza, waves a Palestinian flag and chants along with the crowd as it makes its way through the inner city.

Despite having lived in Sweden for over 30 years, Maymouna explains that she’s never seen such a large gathering for the Palestinian cause before. 

“I am moved by seeing so many people standing up for us. Long live Palestine,” she says.

While she is not surprised that Israel is allowed to stay in the Eurovision Song Contest, what she finds most striking is the lack of a response from world leaders. 

“It’s a double standard. Everything Europe and Sweden did for Ukraine, none of that was given to us. But after so many dead, so many children – how can Israel still be supported by the world?” 

Demonstrations are not the only form of protest taking place during Eurovision week. Murals, flags draped along apartment windows around the city and posters welcoming visitors to the “genocide contest” have filled Malmö’s broad boulevards and sleepy residential neighbourhoods. 

Despite attempts and assurances from Malmö municipality and the EBU to keep the competition non-political, the city has been packed with manifestations, calls for boycotts and several planned Quran burnings. 

A local roundabout surrounded by cherry blossoms and graffiti has even been renamed to “Gazarondellen” [The Gaza-roundabout] by local activists. 

The glittering folk festival has been considered a safety nightmare by authorities since the start, as the country ramped up its terrorism threat level to a 4 out of 5, following the Quran burnings that put Sweden in an awkward international spotlight last summer. 

As a result, police have been forced to call for security backup from neighbouring Norway and Denmark during the five-day festivities in Malmö. Heavily armed officers have been patrolling almost every street in the centre, and snipers have been placed on rooftops ahead of the semi-finals. 

"We have seen people wearing keffiyehs all over the city since the war started. Especially this week it feels even more important"

Sitting on a bench near ‘Gazarondellen’ while eating Malmö’s trademarked falafel plates, Anna, 32 and Lasse, 47 explain that many residents feel as if their city has been overtaken and militarised. 

"We have seen people wearing keffiyehs all over the city since the war started. Especially this week it feels even more important," says Anna.

"We have been approached by police who explained that they are here to protect us, but I don't understand from who, really,” Anna adds, pointing at a gathering of officers carrying large firearms a few metres away – a very unusual sight in a country that has long been regarded as peaceful and tolerant. 

"It feels very strange that there are policemen with automatic weapons on the streets. This park is usually Malmö's most child-friendly area," Lasse says.

"The city has done everything to welcome Eurovision visitors, but has in turn neglected its own population. Why are there snipers on the roofs?” she asks. 

So far, at least 20 artists and local organisations have withdrawn their participation from the events surrounding the Eurovision bonanza in open protest against Israel’s presence, creating gaps in the entertainment schedule. 

"Palestinian voices have been swept under a rug for a long time"

Malmö municipality’s in-house project manager for the Eurovision festival, Karin Karlsson previously commented on the drop-outs during an interview with the newspaper Dagens Nyheter, calling them “unfortunate” and adding that the city “shouldn’t have to be responsible for the entire middle-east conflict.” 

But the residents in Malmö disagree. 

As 34-year-old Viktor Sahlberg cycles past a large watermelon mural on his way to work, he stops to take a picture with his phone.

Using sign language, he explains that these public manifestations are important reminders of what people actually believe. 

“There’s a lot of injustice in the world. Palestinian voices have been swept under a rug for a long time,” he writes in his notes and shows The New Arab before cycling off. 

As the week heads towards a highly anticipated finale on Saturday night, an alternative 'genocide-free' music festival is planned for the same evening under the name ‘Falastinvision’.

With over 30 entries that can be voted for online, the event aims to celebrate Palestinian culture and hopes to attract viewers who are boycotting the Eurovision contest this year.

Among others, Palestinian Bashar Murad, who narrowly missed out on representing Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest, is set to perform the interlude. 

Now the scene is set for further demonstrations and pushback against Israel’s participation after Eden Golan secured a spot in Saturday's final.

As she takes the stage, protesters will march through Malmö, flooding the entire city with pro-Palestinian symbolism and alternative events. 

* The New Arab has reached out to Malmö City for comments.

Nora Adin Fares is a Swedish and Iraqi freelance journalist based in Rome. She covers migration, cultural identity and everything related to women’s rights