Two British protesters have been arrested at Eurovision after yelling ‘free Palestine’ and trying to storm the stage during Israel’s performance.
Swiss police identified David Curry, 22, from Manchester, and Meaghan Leon, 27, from London, as the individuals involved in the incident at the final in Basel on Saturday night.
Activist group Youth Demand, which calls for the UK to stop arming Israel and for climate action, was behind the plans and organised this protest.
Video circulating social media captured the pair’s demonstration while singer Yuval Raphael performed New Day Will Rise at the St Jakobshalle arena.
They tried to get past the security barrier – but it is understood security guards stopped them before they reached the stage itself.
During the Israeli performance, a man and a woman attempted to climb over a barricade onto the stage, according to a spokesperson for Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR.
‘They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit.’
They added the pair were escorted from the venue and ‘handed over to the police’.
Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision has sparked widespread controversy due to its ongoing offensive in Gaza.
It has killed more than 50,000 people to date, according to local health authorities.
Pro-Palestinian campaigners have urged the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exclude the country from Eurovision.
Protesters gathered in the Barfüesserplatz square in the heart of Basel for a demonstration ahead of the final on Saturday evening.
Supporters of Palestine in the audience showcased signs with messages such as ‘boycott Israel apartheid’ and ‘no stage for genocide’, along with waving flags and setting off flares during the event.
It came as Belgium’s broadcaster VRT made a huge U-turn on Saturday on its boycott of Israel’s presence at Eurovision – and aired the country’s performance.
The EBU had issued a warning to Spain’s broadcaster RTVE ahead of the final, saying if their commentators made constant references to the Gaza conflict, they would receive ‘punitive fines’.
Despite this, Spain went on to risk a huge Eurovision fine, displaying a statement before the final of a black screen with white text in Spanish and English that read: ‘Justice for Palestine’.
Many thought Belgium’s VRT may similarly ignore the warning and show a black screen during Ms Raphael’s performance.
During the first semi-final, VRT had displayed the message: ‘This is industrial action. We condemn the violations of human rights by the State of Israel.
‘Furthermore, the State of Israel is destroying freedom of the press. That’s why we interrupt the picture for a moment. #CeasefireNow #StopGenocide.’
But when it came to the final, they heeded the EBU’s warnings and did not do the same.
Ms Raphael’s performance was aired in Belgium – and in a shocking turn of events, the Belgian public voted in favour of Israel, awarding them 12 points.
Meanwhile, Spain ignored the warning and displayed a 16-second message, which read: ‘When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.’
Controversy around Israel’s involvement in Eurovision was reawakened after October 7 survivor Ms Raphael, qualified for the show’s grand final earlier this week.
The politically charged contest is the first major music event Ms Raphael has attended since the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, where she hid under dead bodies for eight hours as Hamas terrorists attacked.
She has received heavy criticism, from jeers and boos in her preview to ex-winners signing letters to ban the country from Eurovision.
Around 4,000 musicians, artist and music industry pros from five Nordic countries signed an open letter denouncing the Middle Eastern country’s entry in the 69th Eurovision song contest in Basel.
Those who signed the statement, including some previous Eurovision winners, dubbed Israel’s involvement in the competition as a bid to ‘whitewash and divert attention’ from the Israel’s bombardment on Gaza.
It argued Israel ‘should not have the opportunity to polish its public image on the Eurovision stage and thus use this to cover up and continue its human rights violations’.
Elsewhere, broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have called for a debate on Israel’s involvement.
Ms Raphael told the BBC, ahead of her performance, it was ‘scary at times, even uncomfortable, but it makes me keep reminding myself why I’m here and my agenda, which is spreading as much love as I can and bringing pride to my country’.
In a shocking turn of events, Ms Raphael was runner-up in the competition with the piano ballad New Day Will Rise, performed in Hebrew, French and English.
She came second only to Austria’s JJ, who stormed to victory.
Britain’s Eurovision dream came crashing down after the UK entry received zero points from the voting public across Europe for the second year in a row.
Remember Monday, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, all 30, represented the UK with their song ‘What The Hell Just Happened?’.
But their song title became a stark reality as fans across Europe snubbed the UK in a humiliating blow for the second consecutive year.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Remember Monday, however, as the Hampshire-based girl group, performing in colourful Bridgerton-style outfits, avoided the dreaded ‘null points’ from the professional jury.
But the 88 points the UK did receive was only enough to land them a disappointing 19th place out of 26 countries.
In the final, each country is awarded two sets of scores – one from a jury of music industry professionals from that nation and the other by fans across Europe.
Votes for your own country are not permitted.
