Large crowd chants ‘Free Palestine’ outside Eurovision venue
Malmö, Sweden – AFP
Police pushed back protesters outside the venue of the Eurovision Song Contest final where more than a hundred demonstrators waved flags and chanted “Free Palestine”.
Police, who confirmed having used pepper spray, later cleared out the square in front of the arena.
Israel was one of 25 nations competing in a contest watched around the world by millions.
When Israel’s contestant Eden Golan went on stage to perform her “Hurricane”, both cheers and boos could be heard from the audience in the Malmo Arena.
Even in the run-up to the competition the country’s presence sparked fierce debate and according to police at least 5,000 people gathered to protest in Malmo in the afternoon.
Diverse Malmo is home to the country’s largest community of Palestinian origin.
Israel has killed at least 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the local health ministry.
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