Bulgaria has clinched Eurovision glory in the 70th anniversary edition of the event, while the United Kingdom's entry flopped, finishing rock bottom once again. The contest, held in Vienna, was marred by controversy and division over Israel's continued participation, with five countries boycotting the event.
Televote Controversy and Boos
There was a loud chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd as Israel was awarded its televotes, which placed their entry, Noam Bettan, at the top of the leaderboard. Several surprises emerged during the televote, with bookies' favourites Finland and Greece receiving just 138 and 147 votes respectively. Meanwhile, the UK crashed out, gaining only one point from the jury vote and nul point from the televote.
Divisions Over Israel's Participation
The slogan for this year's pan-European musical extravaganza was 'United by Music', but that has been far from the case during the run-up to the contest. Five countries—Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland—decided to boycott the competition over Israel's inclusion. When Noam Bettan performed his song at the first semi-final on Tuesday, he faced boos and jeers from the audience, with chants of 'Free Palestine' and 'stop the genocide' in reference to the Gaza War.
Austria's broadcaster ORF later confirmed in a statement that several members of the audience were removed by security. The 28-year-old Mr Bettan reportedly received protection from the security agency Shin Bet, Mossad, and elite Austrian units during his time in Vienna. Outside the Wiener Stadthalle arena, where the contest is being held, there are reports that protesters have been arrested.
Protests and Statements
Across the Austrian capital, pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets, waving Palestinian flags and holding signs saying 'don't mention Palestine' and 'united by genocide'. One protester, Viktoria Eibensteiner, said: 'I think it's very important to show a symbol of Austria being against war crimes, about not offering a stage for Israeli crimes in Palestine, in Lebanon, wherever. So… we want to take a stance against genocide, against war crimes, and that's why we're here today, it's a celebration that serves to counteract the Eurovision Song Contest and the normalisation of war crimes.'
Jamil Sawalmeh, the Country Director for ActionAid Palestine, said: 'Justice cannot be a song Europe sings for some and silences for others. As Eurovision takes centre stage across Europe today, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, with Palestinians facing bombardment, forced displacement and deepening suffering, while the Israeli Government steps up its assault on Palestinian life and rights in the West Bank.'
Favourites and Performances
The bookies' favourite to win was Finland's Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who performed a pop-rock number with an impressive violin solo by Ms Lampenius. Australia's entry, Delta Goodrem, also emerged as a frontrunner, wowing audiences with her epic ballad Eclipse during the semi-finals, propelling Australia to the grand final for the first time in three years.
Rylan Clark Addresses Controversy
Earlier this week, Rylan Clark was praised by viewers after he directly addressed the controversy surrounding Israel's participation. At the start of the first semi-final on Tuesday, Rylan, who was commentating with Angela Scanlon, told viewers that five nations had declined to take part this year. He said: 'As I'm sure you're aware, this year Eurovision has faced one of its most challenging years, five countries have withdrawn following the continued participation of Israel, which leaves us with 35 acts competing in this year's live shows.'
Rylan was lauded by fans for referencing the controversy, with comments on X such as: 'Rylan immediately starting off with mentioning 5 countries withdrawing because of israel... honestly wasn't expecting it,' 'Big on Rylan for mentioning the withdrawals and that is because of Israel,' 'Rylan is making his feelings known, good for him,' and 'The BBC and Rylan actually acknowledging withdrawn countries and their reason?'
Impact of Boycotts
The competition has been clouded for a third year by calls for Israel to be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere. Spain announced its boycott in December, after the European Broadcasting Union said Israel would be allowed to compete, and has been joined by Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland. Some Spanish fans respect the choice to take a stand, even if it is bittersweet.
Spain's broadcaster has repeatedly expressed disapproval over Israel's participation. In last year's semifinals, RTVE's commentators introduced Israel's singer in the same breath as they mentioned Palestinians killed in the war. Before airing the final, the network transmitted the message 'Peace and justice for Palestine' on a black background to hundreds of thousands of Spanish televisions. As the Eurovision finals take place in Vienna, RTVE will air a tribute to the network's musical history, featuring a performance by Tony Grox and Lucycalys, the musicians who would have represented Spain.
Ireland's national broadcaster will play a Eurovision-themed episode of sitcom Father Ted instead. Slovenians will be shown an episode of a 10-part program about Palestinians. People can still watch Eurovision on the European Broadcasting Union's YouTube channel, but the lack of a performer or commentator from their own country renders the vibe less passionate.
The boycotts are a financial blow to Eurovision, which is funded largely by participating broadcasters, and to public broadcasters at a time when many are under financial pressure from government funding cuts and competition from social media. Long a forum for good-natured and sometimes more pointed national rivalries, Eurovision has found it hard to separate pop and politics in recent years. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tensions rose again after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, and Israel's subsequent campaign in Gaza that has left more than 70,000 people dead.
The last two Eurovision contests have seen pro-Palestinian protests both outside the venues and inside, forcing organisers to clamp down on political flag-waving. Several performers and countries have called for the exclusion of Israel, which has competed in Eurovision since 1973, one of a few non-European countries to do so. The 2024 contest in Malmo, Sweden, and last year's event in Basel, Switzerland, saw pro-Palestinian protests that called for Israel to be expelled over the conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza and allegations it ran a rule-breaking marketing campaign to get votes for its contestant after Israel finished second last year.
When organisers declined to kick Israel out, five countries announced in December that they would not participate this year. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, has toughened voting rules in response to the vote-rigging allegations, halving the number of votes per person to 10 and tightening safeguards against 'suspicious or coordinated voting activity'. Israel last year got 83 per cent of its points from the public for its song 'New Day Will Rise' and came second overall. The winner, Austria's 'Wasted Love', got just 41 per cent of its votes from the public, and had to rely on the support of national juries to power its way to the top.
