Eurovision in Gaza's shadow as Israel competes in final

The Eurovision Song Contest final gets underway in Sweden's Malmo on Saturday, as tensions mount around Israel's participation during the Gaza war.

Israel is one of 25 nations competing in a contest watched around the world by millions of lovers of the pop sounds -- and kitschy shows.

But Israel's presence in the contest has caused fierce debate and an AFP reporter saw several thousand people gathered to protest on the streets of Malmo.

"We're not against Eurovision, we're against that Israel is taking part in this Eurovision. We don't want its representative in Malmo... because of what's happening in Gaza," Ingemar Gustavsson, a Swedish pensioner, told AFP.

Malmo is home to the country's largest community of Palestinian origin.

The diverse city -- whose more than 360,000 inhabitants represent 186 nationalities -- is also expecting up to 100,000 fans from 90 countries, on the 50th anniversary of iconic pop group ABBA's Eurovision win with "Waterloo".

Although police have said no direct threats have been made at the competition, they have bolstered their numbers with reinforcements from Norway and Denmark.

Meanwhile, the contest was rattled earlier Saturday by the disqualification of Dutch contestant Joost Klein, for reasons that appear to have no link to the controversy over Israel's participation.

"Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night's Semi Final," the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the event, said in a statement.

"While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest."

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros told AFP that Klein's exclusion was "disproportionate" and it was "shocked" by the decision.

"I'm very sad," Marina, a Dutch woman from Rotterdam, told AFP. "It sounds very disproportionate to disqualify someone for something (when) we don't even know what happened."

 Calls for boycott 

 Klein had already courted controversy at Thursday's press conference when he repeatedly covered his face with a Dutch flag, seemingly signifying he didn't agree with being placed next to Israel's contestant, Eden Golan.

The EBU confirmed in March that Golan would take part, despite calls for her exclusion from thousands of musicians around the world.

The war started with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized hostages, of whom Israel estimates 128 remain in Gaza, including 36 who the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,943 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Israel ranks with Croatia and Switzerland as one of the bookmakers' favourites in the singing extravaganza, which last year was watched by 162 million television viewers.

Golan's song is an adaptation of an earlier version named "October Rain", which she modified after organisers deemed it too political because of its apparent allusions to the Hamas attack.

Israel has been taking part in Eurovision since 1973, most recently winning it for the fourth time in 2018.

But the country's participation this year has caused bitter divisions.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Golan good luck and said she had "already won" by enduring the protests that he called a "horrible wave of anti-Semitism".

In Spain, the far-left Sumar party on Friday launched a petition calling for Israel to be excluded from the competition.

It condemned organisers for letting Israel participate while "its army is exterminating the Palestinian people and razing its land".

Meanwhile German Culture Minister Claudia Roth denounced as "absolutely unacceptable" calls to boycott Israeli artists.

  Neon lights 

 The EBU -- which suspended Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine -- has insisted it does not play politics.

Last year it banned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from speaking in the arena.

This neutrality was challenged on Tuesday by Swedish singer Eric Saade, who took part in the opening number of the competition wearing a keffiyeh around his arm.

Two days later, unions at Belgian broadcaster VRT briefly interrupted transmission of the second semi-final to broadcast a message in support of the Palestinians.

"We condemn the violations of human rights by the state of Israel," the message said, accompanied by the hashtags CeasefireNow and StopGenocide.

Inside the Malmo Arena -- where organisers have banned all flags other than those of the participating countries -- the scene was all neon lights, bright costumes and upbeat melodies.

To gain access, the some 9,000 spectators have to pass through a reinforced security system designed in particular to discourage protesters from approaching.