--- title: Eurovision Tightens Security Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests description: Sweden amped up security in anticipation of thousands protesting Israel's participation in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. canonical: https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-05-07T19:31:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T17:34:53.876Z article:section: World og:title: Eurovision Tightens Security Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests og:description: Thousands are expected to protest Israel's participation in the international songwriting competition. og:url: https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8f0f58f4d41a29f/698a568686f68e33b46f5170/Eurovision-2024-Rehearsal.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: SWEDEN-MUSIC-AWARD-EUROVISION og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eurovision Tightens Security Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests twitter:description: Thousands are expected to protest Israel's participation in the international songwriting competition. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8f0f58f4d41a29f/698a568686f68e33b46f5170/Eurovision-2024-Rehearsal.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sweden Tightens Security At Eurovision Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests by [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter May 7, 2024 7:31 PM CUT  Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov representing Azerbaijan with the song "Özunle apar" perform on stage during the first rehearsal for the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 6, 2024. Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov representing Azerbaijan with the song "Özunle apar" perform on stage during the first rehearsal for the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 6, 2024.Jessica Gow—TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter May 7, 2024 7:31 PM CUT Performers from across Europe and beyond will compete in the first semi-final of the 68th [Eurovision Song Contest](https://time.com/tag/eurovision/ "undefined") on Tuesday, amid heightened security prompted by pro-Palestinian protesters objecting to Israel’s participation in the competition. The international songwriting competition kicked off over the weekend in Malmo, Sweden. The city already expected about 100,000 fans to visit, and amped up security for the event in anticipation of thousands of people protesting Israel’s participation in the contest. Protests are expected to take place Thursday and Saturday, coinciding with the competition’s second semi-final and the grand final, [_Associated Press_](https://apnews.com/article/eurovision-song-contest-semifinal-gaza-protests-21a750c85dade5e3955152fd408b914a "undefined") reported. “I think it’s obvious that the world’s insecurity has also affected Eurovision,” Malmo Police Chief Petra Stenkula [told _BBC_](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68950907 "undefined") a few days before the event began. “In Sweden, and Malmo in particular, there have been protests against Israel taking part in the competition.” While Stenkula told _BBC_ that there were no specific threats to the contest, additional security officials have been called in from across Sweden, in addition to Denmark and Norway. Some officers may carry larger weapons as a precaution, and officials have also set up cameras around the venue. Sweden had already been “on a terror level of four out of five,” Stenkula told _BBC_. The country increased the alert level in August 2023, after a spate of Quran-burning incidents [sparked](https://time.com/6303348/quran-burning-sweden-denmark/ "undefined") outrage and triggered protests in many Muslim-majority countries. More than 150 million people from around the world watch Eurovision. Organizers insist the event is apolitical, and recently [branded](https://eurovision.tv/story/united-by-music-permanent-slogan#:~:text='United%20By%20Music'%20chosen%20as%20permanent%20Eurovision%20slogan "undefined") it with the slogan “United by Music.” Organizers have long banned most flags and signs from the contest—the only exceptions are participants’ national flags and the pride flag, meaning that Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols are not allowed inside the Malmo Arena venue. Jean Philip De Tender is the deputy director general of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition, and he told [Sky News](https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1787047394133057925?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1787047394133057925%7Ctwgr%5E398274fb69132eeb71b50a371b652deca5e9f001%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breakingnews.ie%2Fisrael-hamas%2Feurovision-organisers-say-israel-exclusion-would-have-been-political-decision-1621715.html "undefined") that barring Israel from the competition “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.” Organizers did previously tell Israel to change the lyrics of its song, initially called “October Rain,” because of its apparent reference to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis. Organizers had said that they would disqualify participants who didn’t abide by Eurovision’s apolitical nature, according to [_Reuters_](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-unveils-revised-eurovision-song-after-lyrics-controversy-2024-03-10/ "undefined"). Israeli singer Eden Golan will still perform the song at Eurovision, but it’s since been renamed to “Hurricane,” _Associated Press_ reported. The war in Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled [Palestinian Ministry of Health](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/"},"headline":"Sweden Tightens Security At Eurovision Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests","datePublished":"2024-05-07T19:31:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:34:53.876Z","description":"The pro-Palestinian protests are expected to take place Thursday and Saturday, coinciding with the competition's second semi-final and the grand final.","url":"https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/","keywords":["protests","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8f0f58f4d41a29f/698a568686f68e33b46f5170/Eurovision-2024-Rehearsal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8f0f58f4d41a29f/698a568686f68e33b46f5170/Eurovision-2024-Rehearsal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SWEDEN-MUSIC-AWARD-EUROVISION","caption":"SWEDEN-MUSIC-AWARD-EUROVISION","creditText":"Jessica Gow—TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/protests/","name":"protests"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6975697/eurovision-security-palestine-protests/","name":"Sweden Tightens Security At Eurovision Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests"}}]}] ```