Demonstrators Protested Against Israel’s Eurovision Participation

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00:00 Not everyone in Malmo was welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest to town,

00:07 where thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in the Swedish port city

00:12 against Israel's participation in the pan-continental pop competition.

00:16 Protesters waving Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget Square

00:23 near Malmo's 16th century town hall

00:26 before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several kilometers from the Eurovision venue.

00:32 There was a large police presence, with hovering helicopters and officers on rooftops with binoculars.

00:39 Eurovision is being held here in Malmo, and Israel is a part of the competition,

00:47 and we think that's wrong.

00:49 They should not be a part of it, as Russia is not a part of it.

00:52 And right now the people in Gaza are at the last part that they could flee from the bombs.

00:58 Now they have nowhere else to go.

01:00 And that's terrible.

01:03 So you should be outside, you should be here protesting for humanity, for people there.

01:07 In Palestine it's horrible what's happening just now.

01:10 In Gaza, children, women, and everyone are dying.

01:15 So you can't be at home and wait for something.

01:19 You don't have to say anything.

01:22 I am very happy that there are so many people here today.

01:26 I am from Chile, I grew up under the Pinochet dictatorship,

01:32 so I know what repression is like.

01:35 The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians,

01:41 has brought a jarring juxtaposition to Eurovision week in Malmo.

01:46 Pro-Palestinian groups plan to march again on Saturday,

01:49 which is the day of the Eurovision final.

01:52 Contest organisers, who try to keep Eurovision a non-political event,

01:58 have rejected calls to ban Israel over the conduct of its war against Hamas,

02:03 but they told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry,

02:06 originally titled "October Rain",

02:08 in apparent reverence to the wake of October 7th.

02:12 The song was renamed "Hurricane",

02:14 and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.

02:20 For more UN videos visit: www.un.org/webcast

02:26 Peasant Party of the Year 2018

02:30 UN Media Group

02:34 (upbeat music)