LONDON

Eurovision organisers on Wednesday rebuked one of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 opening acts for wearing a Palestinian scarf during the first semifinal on Tuesday night.

Swedish singer Eric Saade was one of three former contestants who opened the contest in Malmo, a coastal city in southern Sweden, when he was seen wearing a keffiyeh around his wrist — a Palestinian symbol in support of Palestine to protest Israeli war on Gaza.

A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event, said: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a live TV show.

“All performers are made aware of the rules of the Contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event,” it said in a statement.

Saade, whose father is of Palestinian origin and who finished third for Sweden in the 2011 Eurovision contest, recently condemned the EBU’s decision to allow Israel’s involvement in the competition, according to local media.

Last week, the EBU decided to prevent contestants, performers, and fans from displaying Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols during the song contest,

The EBU said those who try to enter Malmo Arena with a Palestinian flag or a banner containing a political message will be stopped and their flags or banners will be taken away, according to the Goteborgs-Posten newspaper.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions over Israel’s participation in the song competition due to its war on Gaza, in which nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and tens of thousands injured, with many missing and unaccounted for.

Pro-Palestinian groups are expected to stage large protests in the host city alongside the event on Thursday and Saturday.

Malmo Police Department spokesperson Nils Norling said they estimate that 100,000 demonstrators will come to the city, according to national broadcaster SVT Nyheter.

Over 20,000 people from various European countries are also expected to travel to Malmo to protest Israel’s participation in the music competition.

The Palestine Network has taken the initiative to organize demonstrations and other cultural activities in the city during Eurovision week, SVT Nyheter reported.

The Palestine Group in Malmo is also one of many organizations collaborating to organize two demonstrations in the city.

“We are planning two large, peaceful demonstrations on May 9 and 11 in Malmo. We hope that many people will come from Denmark to participate,” Per-Olof Karlsson, one of the organizers, told the broadcaster.

When asked why he felt it was important to stage such a protest, he said: “Because Israel should be excluded from Eurovision just like they did with Russia.”

In solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and as part of a protest, an alternative music event called Falastinvision will be held on the final day of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 11 in Malmo.

Many artists from Sweden and other parts of Europe will participate to show their support for Palestinians.

Authorities have requested additional security measures, such as submachine gun-wielding police officers and reinforcements from Denmark and Norway.

Malmo, Sweden's third largest city, is home to approximately 360,000 people from 186 different nationalities, including a sizable Palestinian and Muslim population.

In 2022, Russia was barred from competing in the Eurovision held in the Italian city of Turin after neighboring Finland threatened to pull its performer out unless it was banned due to Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine that year.

The EBU prevented the country from participating in future competitions.

Iceland was fined by the EBU after its Eurovision act Hatari raised Palestinian flags during their appearance on the show held in Israel in 2019.

In December, the board of the Icelandic Society of Authors and Composers (FTT) publicly called on Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV not to take part in the song contest “unless Israel is denied participation in the competition on the same grounds as Russia in the last competition,” FTT’s General Director Stefan Eiriksson said in a letter sent to RUV.

“We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children,” Eiriksson said.

He emphasized that individuals and states “always have the choice not to put our name to such things.”

“We owe it to those nations that act with force through military might not to share the stage in an event that is always characterized by joy and optimism,” added Eiriksson.