Israel’s Eurovision contestant booed by crowd who chanted “free Palestine” (video)

Footage posted online by attendees at the Eurovision Song Contest’s Jury Show disclosed a chaotic scene Wednesday night, May 8. 

In the videos posted on X, the crowd is seen booing and chanting “Free Palestine” during Eden Golan’s performance for Israel, almost drowning the singer out entirely. 

On May 8, 16 countries taking part in the semi-final of the international competition took the stage to perform their songs to an arena of fans in Sweden.

While television viewers of the final performance will determine the winner of the contest, juries still cast their votes at the Jury Show in order to determine an outcome in case voting breaks down during the finals.

One X user called the atmosphere in the venue “horrible” and said you could “feel the tension,” while others simply shared videos of the loudly booing crowd. 

This development comes after widespread criticism of Israel being allowed to enter the competition at all, given the country’s ongoing attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

The war against Hamas has killed more than 35,000 people in Palestine, and injured a further 77,000 in Gaza, according to figures obtained by Al Jazeera. 

Among continued calls for a permanent ceasefire, many disagree with the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to participate in the song competition. 

This dissent was obvious in Malmö, as angry voices almost entirely overpowered Israel’s entry, according to the videos shared on social media.

Watch the video below…