Norway and Israel participate in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest

On Thursday evening, the eyes of the whole world are on Malmö. The second semi-final kicks off, but long before the semi-final there has been a storm in the Swedish city, since Israel is participating.

There have been large Eurovision protests in Malmö today. Tens of thousands of protesters took to Malmö’s streets.

And it is expected that there will also be markings in connection with the semi-finals tonight. During Israel’s performance during the dress rehearsal, there was booing in the hall.

It is expected that the EBU will take measures to prevent the bowing from being heard during the TV broadcast.

Changed title

The Israeli contribution “Hurricane” was originally called “October rain”, but had to be changed due to the political tone, the song title alluding to the terrorist attack in October.

The Israeli artist Eden Golan has previously said that people must be allowed to think what they want.

What does she think about the demonstrations?

– I have not seen them. I am here and focused on the music, and on joy and love. That is what matters, she says on Thursday afternoon.

She is happy that she gets to be an ambassador for her home country.

– It is an honor to be here and represent my country. It means everything to me to have the strength to be here and show our voice.

It is expected that many will turn off the TV broadcast while Israel performs its song. There is speculation as to whether this could have consequences for Gåte, since they are the first contribution after Israel.

Enigma happy for demonstrations

Because even with Norwegian glasses, it is an exciting Thursday evening. Gåte will be in action, and will fight against 15 other countries for a place in the final. 10 of the 16 participating countries will advance.

Gåte are positive about the demonstrations:

– It shows that the topic, the world, what is happening right now, is in many people’s consciousness, and that it affects so many people. It is very, very good that people go out into the streets and show their opinion, says Magnus Børmark.

He adds that they do not feel unsafe.

– Everything feels safe as it is now. The fact that the seriousness of the world is also reflected in Eurovision is important and that’s how it should be. The values of Eurovision will also be put to the test and will withstand it here.

And the band says they are excited before it breaks loose.

– We must concentrate on what we have to do, take one minute at a time and try to enjoy the moment, says vocalist Gunnhild Sundli.

Swedish om Gåte – Fierce

The Swedish Eurovision expert for Aftonbladet, Torbjörn Ek, likes the Norwegian entry and thinks the chances are good.

– It’s fierce Nordic ethnopop and I love Gunhild’s singing style. I have no doubt that Gåte will continue.

But he points out that most of the attention has been directed at Israel’s exercises and the reactions surrounding them.

Winning favorite from Switzerland

In addition to Israel, Switzerland also receives some attention for its contribution. The artist Nemo has Norwegian help on the songwriting side, is non-binary and one of the favorites to win this year’s final.

Torbjörn Ek pays tribute to both song and artist.

– Nemo’s song “The Code” is the type of song that, in principle, only exists in Eurovision. It’s a mix of almost 37 different songs, it’s both rap and opera. And he delivers it so incredibly well. He sings very loudly. So it would be fierce if a song like that actually won the competition.

ESC expert Anders Tangen also thinks it stands out.

– Switzerland is definitely not one of the standout contributions this year, but you take it quite far in the costume. I think that it will appear foreign to many, but it is also a song that is important to many. The entry is among those that represent a slightly different expression than we are used to from Eurovision.