Greta Thunberg has joined pro-Palestine rallies in Malmo against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The climate activist, 21, joined the Stop Israel demonstration in the city centre on Thursday ahead of Israeli singer Eden Golan’s performance in the competition’s second semi-final. Golan’s rendition of her song Hurricane, previously known as October Rain (thought to allude to the Hamas attacks), was met with boos and cries of “free Palestine” during rehearsals on Wednesday.
Thunberg, draped in a keffiyeh (a symbol of solidarity with Palestine), stood amidst the crowd as protesters, some accompanied by children and pet dogs, brandished posters depicting injured Gazan civilians. The demonstrations were marked by the release of smoke canisters in Palestinian colors and chants of “free Palestine.”
Police instructed the pro-Palestinian group to retreat, prompting them to return to the main gathering. A banner resembling the Eurovision logo but bearing the word “genocide” was also displayed, an accusation Israel vehemently denies.
Rory Flynn, 27, of the Eurovision Irish fan club, has launched a separate movement against Israel’s participation at the song contest in Sweden.
During an interview with PA news agency amid protests in Malmo, he said: “We feel that it’s important to make our voices heard in the competition in the arena.
“Others are doing a full boycott – and full respect to people who are doing a full boycott – but we think it’s important that our voices are heard in the arena and around Malmo.”
Mr Flynn also said his group booed during Golan’s dress rehearsals this week, adding: “This song is a propaganda song. OK, it was originally called October Rain and now it’s called Hurricane, you can see there, it’s the same melody; the lyrics have been changed at the request of the EBU (European Broadcast Union), but it is the same song.
“And it is about justifying Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and I think that says it all really, you know, I think it’s quite appropriate to kind of boo that propaganda.”
