Hundreds Protest Israel Participation in Basel Eurovision Final

Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 final in Basel, Switzerland, several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to oppose Israel's participation in the event, accusing the country of genocide and calling for its permanent ban from Eurovision. Demonstrators at Barfüsserplatz and other central locations carried Palestinian flags, banners, and signs with slogans such as 'boycott Israel apartheid' while some smeared themselves and symbolic blankets with fake blood and lit flares. The protests were unauthorized, and Basel police worked to redirect the demonstrators, who largely ignored instructions and marched through the city, while a small group of pro-Israel supporters waved Israeli flags in counter-demonstration. This activism is part of a broader pattern of politically charged protests linked to the ongoing Gaza war, despite Eurovision organizers' claims the event is non-political. The Israeli contestant, Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 2023 Hamas attack, is set to perform in the final amid heightened tensions. Similar pro-Palestinian demonstrations also occurred in other cities, including a large march in Dublin, underscoring international solidarity movements around the conflict.