Political tensions surround Eurovision song contest final

The Eurovision Song Contest's final takes place in Vienna on Saturday, with the organisers hoping the annual show of glitz and Europop will be a success despite five countries' withdrawal over Israel taking part.

The run-up to the event - a kitsch and usually good-natured competition between pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, now in its 70th year - has been overshadowed by a boycott of the event by the public broadcasters of heavyweights Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia.

Those countries are protesting Israel's participation in the wake of the country's military offensive in Gaza, a response to the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.

Ireland's RTE said that to take part would be "unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there".

Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it.

SMALLEST CONTEST IN TWO DECADES

"We're the world's biggest music show, and any global event like ours, be it art or sport, is going to collide with the world sometimes," contest director Martin Green told Reuters before the contest kicked off this week.

"We try and protect Eurovision as a neutral space where we can bring artists together through music and demonstrate that maybe the world can be better than it is sometimes."

At least 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack, most of them civilians. Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins.

The boycotts cut the number of contest entries to 35, the smallest since 2003, which will almost certainly reduce the global television viewership of an event that last year was estimated at 166 million people, more than the Super Bowl's roughly 128 million. There will be 25 countries, including Israel, taking part in Saturday's final.

BOOS AND A FORMAL WARNING

The mood in the Austrian capital has been tense and subdued, with protests during the week over Israel's participation drawing small crowds. Police are still bracing for protests on Saturday and anticipate possible "blockades and disruption attempts".

A protest is due to pass the contest venue several hours before the event begins at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).

There was a brief disruption during Tuesday's semi-final, when one protester chanted "Stop, stop the genocide" and "Free, free Palestine" within range of a television microphone.

He and three others "were removed from the arena for disruptive behaviour," the European Broadcasting Union and Austrian national broadcaster ORF, the organiser and host, said in a joint statement.

Israel's entrant Noam Bettan told Reuters he heard some booing as he took the stage.

The EBU issued a formal warning to Israeli public broadcaster KAN over videos featuring Bettan calling on viewers to vote for him the maximum 10 times. Such campaigns are now against the rules after a similar lobbying effort last year. KAN said it follows the rules and the videos were taken down.

Finland's entry, "Liekinheitin", or Flamethrower, featuring violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen on a burning set, is the favourite this year, followed by Australia's "Eclipse", sung by Delta Goodrem.