STORY: :: Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in Malmo to protest Israel's participation in Eurovision 2024
:: Malmo, Sweden
:: May 9, 2024
Protester, Matilda Varatta:
"What we expect and what we would like to see is that they disqualify Israel like they did with Russia when Russia invaded Ukraine, because it's not true that the Eurovision is not political, it has always been political, and it will always be. So, it's just a fake excuse."
Protester, Felicia Kvist:
"Putting on a show like Eurovision just feels wrong when these things are happening. So I'm showing my support for Palestine and I hope that the countries and the leading people of the countries will react in some way. That's my hope."
A large crowd of protesters gathered on Malmo's central square Stortorget, some four miles from the competition venue, waiving Palestinian flags and shouting "boycott Israel".
Swedish authorities have heightened security and are bracing for possible unrest, and there was a significant police presence in the square.
Police estimate that about 5,000 people attended the demonstration.
