‘Silent’ pro-Palestinian protest to be held in Basel streets during Eurovision
Meanwhile, Celine Dion delivered a pre-recorded address during Tuesday’s semi-final amid speculation she may return to Switzerland
Pro-Palestinian protesters have planned to walk the streets of Basel “silently” to demonstrate against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Local group Basel for Palestine urged its marchers not to make any “chants or slogans” as they walk across the Swiss host city on Wednesday on the anniversary of Israel’s creation as a state on May 14 1948.
Meanwhile, Canadian singer Celine Dion delivered a pre-recorded address during Tuesday’s semi-final of the song contest saying she wants “nothing more” than to be in Switzerland, a country she represented and won for in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”.
Organisers are in “close contact” with Dion amid speculation she would make a stage return during the final on Saturday, amid her health issues.
Among the acts qualifying for Saturday was Ziferblat with the entry “Bird of Prey”, who continue Ukraine’s streak of making it through to every grand final since the country first entered in 2003, and Sweden’s representative KAJ, who have been touted as favourites to win with their ode to saunas, “Bara Bada Bastu”.
Basel for Palestine wrote on social media: “On the eve of the Nakba day, we invite you all to join us on a silent walk through the city of Basel.”
Nakba Day remembers the date on 15 May, 1948, when some 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes.
More pro-Palestinian protests are set for Saturday evening, following the weekend seeing a gathering of flags waved from the Middle Eastern country at the opening ceremony on Sunday.
Broadcasters from countries such as Spain, Ireland and Iceland have called for a discussion on Israel’s inclusion in the contest, and on Tuesday, the charity Oxfam aired a campaign video called Speak Up For Palestine on Belgian Eurovision broadcaster VRT.
A demonstration against antisemitism has been approved by Basel police for Thursday, when Israeli singer Yuval Raphael performs in the second semi-final along with Ireland’s Emmy Kristiansen.
The UK’s act Remember Monday, which has an automatic place in the final as one of the five biggest supporters of Eurovision, will also perform their song “What the Hell Just Happened” on stage for the first time during Thursday’s show.
In a change from last year’s contest in Malmo, Sweden, the ban on certain flags being waved by the audience was relaxed, which meant Palestinian symbols could be seen in the St Jakobshalle arena.
Despite the ban in 2004, sparked by the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, some fans had smuggled items into the audience.
Another key difference was the absence from the main arena of Martin Osterdahl, the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) executive supervisor for the song contest, with his team verifying the votes instead briefly filmed backstage after Mr Osterdahl was booed last year amid several controversies during the event, won by Switzerland’s Nemo.
Before the qualifying acts were announced, co-hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer sang about Swiss-made products and how the country hosted the first Eurovision in Lugano in 1956.
It also compared the EBU’s non-political stance to Switzerland’s neutrality in armed conflicts.
Brugger sang: “And now you understand, that like the Swiss, Eurovision is non-political, strictly neutral. Doesn’t matter if you’re good or brutal, welcome gender diversity, but with decency and no nudity.”
There was a tribute to Dion, with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” performed in the St Jakobshalle arena by previous Eurovision stars including Silvester Belt and Iolanda.
Also through to Saturday’s final are Estonia’s Tommy Cash with “Espresso Macchiato”; Poland’s Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic “Gaja”; Vaeb representing Iceland with “Roa”; San Marino’s Gabry Ponte with the catchy “Tutta L’Italia”; Albania’s Shkodra Elektronike singing” Zjerm”; Portugal’s Napa with “Deslocado”; and Norway’s Kyle Alessandro with the fiery song “Lighter”.