Belgian Eurovision contender Mustii failed to make it through the qualifying round for the music contest on Thursday night. His song, Before the Party's Over did not secure enough public votes during the second semi-final held in Malmo, Sweden.
But the competition was marked by controversy due to Israel's participation while the Israel - Hamas war continues in Gaza. Petitions were launched across Europe calling to exclude Israel but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said that the competition is apolitical and Israel should be permitted to compete. Critics pointed out that Russia has been excluded due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The Israeli singer Eden Golan performed the song Hurricane, which had previously been titled October Rain before organisers said that it had to be changed. Golan was booed by some audience members during the dress rehearsal. A reported 20,000 people held protests against Israel's participation in Malmö on Thursday. The Swedish police made some arrests.
After the semi-final, Israel jumped up in the odds according to bookmakers and is predicted to finish second after Croatia.
The Swedish singer Éric Saade, whose father is of Palestinian origin, wore a keffiyeh (the traditional Arab headdress) around his arm in the first semi-final despite the ban on political symbols in the arena.
Belgian broadcast cut by union protest
The Belgian broadcast of the contest was also subject to protests, with around 70 people demonstrating on Thursday evening in front of the main entrance of national broadcasters RTBF and VRT. Unions at VRT interrupted the opening broadcast with message of support for the Palestinian people aired during the show.
The message (in Dutch) read: "This is a union action. We condemn the violations of human rights committed by the State of Israel. The State of Israel is also destroying the freedom of the press. For this reason we are interrupting coverage."
The protest broadcast on the VRT television coverage of the Eurovision semi-finals on Thursday night. The message denounces the violation of human rights by Israel and demands a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. Credit: Belga
Six nations automatically qualify for the final: the current title holder Sweden and the "big five" – Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and United Kingdom, who are the leading contributors to the organisation of the contest.
Candidates from Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Israel, Greece, Estonia, Switzerland, Georgia, and Armenia all advanced to the final, which will be held on Saturday. They will join representatives from Serbia, Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, and Luxembourg, selected in Tuesday’s first semi-final.
