For Israel’s contestant, the Eurovision Song Contest comes with tight security, boos and cheers
Eden Golan is in Sweden for the Eurovision Song Contest, but she is not seeing much of the country
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Eden Golan is in Sweden for the Eurovision Song Contest, but she is not seeing much of the country.
The 20-year-old Israeli singer is surrounded by security as she travels between hotel and the contest venue in the city of Malmo. According to Israel’s public broadcaster, she practiced singing while being booed to prepare for her performance in the pan-continental song competition.
Golan has become a focus for protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators who want Israel kicked out of Eurovision over its war against Hamas, which has killed almost 35,000 people in Gaza.
A crowd estimated by police at more than 10,000 marched through the southern Swedish city on Thursday to chants of “Free Palestine” and “Israel is a terror state.” Banners accused Eurovision of being complicit in genocide and called for a boycott of the competition.
Another protest march is planned for Saturday, hours before Golan competes in the live Eurovision final against acts from 25 other countries.
Golan has largely stayed out of sight in Malmo, apart from rehearsals and performances at the Malmo Arena. While other performers have taken the stage for fans in a Eurovision park in the city, Golan has not.
She was one of 10 acts who made it through Thursday’s semifinal, which was decided by votes from Eurovision viewers around the world. Golan has been greeted with a smattering of boos, as well as applause, from spectators in the arena. Bookmakers say she is likely to finish in the top half of the final competition, decided by a mix of public votes and national music-industry juries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Golan for performing despite “contending with an ugly wave of anti-Semitism.”
“So be blessed, and know that when they boo you, we are cheering you on,” he said.
Golan’s song is a powerful ballad titled “Hurricane” – but that was not its original name. The song was first called “October Rain,” an apparent reference to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and triggered the Gaza war. That fell foul of contest rules banning “political” content.
The retitled song contains less specific lyrics about going through a tough time, and asserts that “love will never die.”
Born in Israel to parents from the former Soviet Union, Golan spent much of her childhood in Russia and performed on TV talent shows there before moving back to Israel. She cites Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston and Justin Timberlake among her inspirations.
She has avoided direct political statements, but said it was “such an honor to represent my country, especially in these times.”
Speaking after the semi-final, Golan said she was “overwhelmed with emotions.”
“I’m just super excited to go on stage once more and share a bit of my love with everyone,” she said.
___
Associated Press writer Yesica Fisch in Jerusalem contributed to this story.