Thousands join Gaza war protest against Israel's Eurovision participation

NEWS WIRES

9 May 2024 at 0:52 pm·1-min read

Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Eurovision 2024 host city Malmo on Thursday to protest Israel's participation in the song contest ahead of this year's second semi-final.

Some 100,000 visitors have gathered in the southern Swedish city for the annual kitsch-fest, which is taking place amid protests and boycotts over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

"Young people are leading the way and showing the world how we should react to this," Thunberg, 21, said, wrapped in a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf that has become a symbol for Palestinian resistance.

Metal barricades and large concrete blocks have been put up around Malmo Arena, which is hosting the competition.

Police are guarding the venue and visitors need to pass through metal detectors before entering the arena. Bags are being checked and visitors are only allowed to bring in small purses.

Israeli contestant Eden Golan, 20, will perform her song "Hurricane" in the second semi-final later on Thursday.

A large crowd of protesters gathered on Malmo's central square Stortorget, some 7 kilometres (4.35 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, live footage showed.

Protester Kasia Wiatrowska, from Malmo, wore a green T-shirt with the words "Libre Palestine" on the back.

(Reuters)

Associated Press
Helicopter crash that killed Iran's president and others could reverberate across the Middle East
The helicopter crash in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials were killed is likely to reverberate across the Middle East, where Iran’s influence runs wide and deep. Tensions have never been higher than they were last month, when Iran under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an airstrike on an Iranian Consulate in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.
The Independent
Russia-Ukraine war – latest: Putin loses more than 1,500 soldiers in faltering Kharkiv offensive
Zelensky says ‘world can stop Russian terror’ as he seeks more Patriots for Ukraine
HuffPost UK
Carol Vorderman Pulls Precisely Zero Punches As She Tears Into The Tories On Late Night Lycett
"Everything has turned to s***."
The Independent
Trump appears to freeze for 30 seconds on stage during NRA speech
Biden and Trump campaigns continue to trade barbs over accusations candidates are senile
The Independent
Trump in furious rant at Biden on Truth Social after ‘freezing’ on stage at NRA speech
‘Donald Trump doesn’t freeze,’ the ex-president claims
Sky News
Iran president helicopter crash: The 'butcher of Tehran' had a fearsome reputation - and many will be fearing instability
Ebrahim Raisi was one of Iran's hardest of hardliners, a fanatical and absolute believer in the Iranian revolution and its mission. A man who launched the first direct attack on Israel in his country's history and a hardliner on whose watch hundreds of Iranians have been killed in the brutal repression of recent women-led protests, Mr Raisi had a huge amount of blood on his hands. Mr Raisi was personally involved in two of the darkest periods of Iranian repression.
The Telegraph
The case against Israel has just collapsed
By rights, this should be the moment that the humanitarian case against Israel’s campaign in Gaza goes into terminal collapse. From now on, there can be no equivocation. Those who persist in opposing the war based on the number of civilian casualties are either ignorant or arguing in bad faith. Or both.
HuffPost
Local TV Station Catches Donald Trump In A Lie About 'Never Coming Back'
Minnesota's KSTP juxtaposed the former president's fresh denial to a reporter with what he actually said.
The Telegraph
‘I have never in my lifetime seen as much anger’: how Ireland’s migration system was overwhelmed
Pub landlord Brian Moore, 54, is busy with customers enjoying a late lunch before they head out into the sunshine.
HuffPost UK
'Richer Than The King': Kay Burley Lays Into 'Unelected' And 'Unpopular' Rishi Sunak
Paymaster general John Glen struggled when the Sky News host called out the PM's personal wealth.
CNN
Opinion: I changed my mind about the strength of the prosecution’s case against Donald Trump. Here’s why
The prosecution in Trump’s hush money trial made a significant error announcing they were resting their case after calling Michael Cohen as their final witness and not having a key witness to corroborate Cohen’s claims, writes attorney Stacy Schneider.
The Telegraph
Will Iran blame Israel for the helicopter crash? The finger-pointing has already begun
It did not take long for the first accusations of foul play to appear on Iranian state television following the announcement that Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s president, had died in a helicopter crash.
The Telegraph
UK owes Caribbean nations £205bn in reparations, says Cambridge academic
Britain owes Caribbean nations more than £200 billion in slavery reparations, a leading academic has claimed.
HuffPost
Jordan Klepper Pinpoints Exact Moment Donald Trump's MAGA Base Went All In On Russia
The "Daily Show" correspondent also highlighted the "darker question" when it comes to Republicans and Russia.
Sky News
Benny Gantz: Israeli war cabinet member threatens to resign if Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't adopt new plan for Gaza
A member of Israel's three-man war cabinet has threatened to resign from the government if it does not adopt a new plan for the war in Gaza. The move by Benny Gantz escalates a divide within Israel's leadership more than seven months into the war. Israel is yet to accomplish its stated goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages abducted during the attack on 7 October.
The Daily Beast
Trump Ends NRA Speech With ‘Horror’ Warning Set to Dramatic QAnon Music
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesDonald Trump followed up his endorsement by the National Rifle Association on Saturday with a speech stoking fears of the government under Joe Biden “coming for your guns,” and a bizarre monologue set to dramatic music resembling a song favored by QAnon.Addressing thousands of members of the NRA at their annual meeting in Texas, the former president stuck to his usual talking points, hailing the reversal of Roe v. Wade as an “amazing thing,” comparing himself to Al Ca
The Telegraph
Remainers are incapable of admitting the truth about the EU, and Europe’s shift Right
Suppose that David Cameron had returned from Brussels in February 2016 with something tangible. Perhaps he had acquired the right to deny benefits to new EU immigrants. Or perhaps he had recovered control of fisheries policy. Or maybe Britain had opted out of the EU’s criminal justice system.
The Telegraph
For the first time, I see why reasonable people will vote for Donald Trump
I will never forget the crushing sense of disbelief, horror and dread the night that Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. The bad feelings did not diminish over the course of his term in office, even as many in the same anti-woke, pro-free-speech stable as me began to caveat their objections to the buffoonish talk-show lout who was now the president of the United States.
The Independent
MAGA Republican Elise Stefanik loses it with Fox News host: ‘This is a disgrace!’
New York congresswoman is one of several Republicans thought to be vying to become Donald Trump’s running mate
The Independent
NYPD officer caught on video punching pro-Gaza protester during Brooklyn rally
The protest marked the 76th anniversary of the Nabka, when 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes

Israel denies involvement in helicopter crash

Thousands join Gaza war protest against Israel's Eurovision participation

Latest stories

Helicopter crash that killed Iran's president and others could reverberate across the Middle East

Russia-Ukraine war – latest: Putin loses more than 1,500 soldiers in faltering Kharkiv offensive

Carol Vorderman Pulls Precisely Zero Punches As She Tears Into The Tories On Late Night Lycett

Trump appears to freeze for 30 seconds on stage during NRA speech

Trump in furious rant at Biden on Truth Social after ‘freezing’ on stage at NRA speech

Iran president helicopter crash: The 'butcher of Tehran' had a fearsome reputation - and many will be fearing instability

The case against Israel has just collapsed

Local TV Station Catches Donald Trump In A Lie About 'Never Coming Back'

‘I have never in my lifetime seen as much anger’: how Ireland’s migration system was overwhelmed

'Richer Than The King': Kay Burley Lays Into 'Unelected' And 'Unpopular' Rishi Sunak

Opinion: I changed my mind about the strength of the prosecution’s case against Donald Trump. Here’s why

Will Iran blame Israel for the helicopter crash? The finger-pointing has already begun

UK owes Caribbean nations £205bn in reparations, says Cambridge academic

Jordan Klepper Pinpoints Exact Moment Donald Trump's MAGA Base Went All In On Russia

Benny Gantz: Israeli war cabinet member threatens to resign if Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't adopt new plan for Gaza

Trump Ends NRA Speech With ‘Horror’ Warning Set to Dramatic QAnon Music

Remainers are incapable of admitting the truth about the EU, and Europe’s shift Right

For the first time, I see why reasonable people will vote for Donald Trump

MAGA Republican Elise Stefanik loses it with Fox News host: ‘This is a disgrace!’

NYPD officer caught on video punching pro-Gaza protester during Brooklyn rally