A Palestinian flag was also burned during the action in Malmö city centre. The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Sweden next week.
A man and a woman burned a Koran in Malmö just before the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). This was seen in a video posted on the TikTok site on Friday. A Palestinian flag was also burned during the action in Malmö city center, not far from the two ESC venues. Swedish police were criticized for allowing Korans to be burned so close to the main event.
Starting on Saturday, the southern Swedish city will be packed with concerts and parties for a week, culminating in the big ESC finale on May 11. A total of over 100,000 visitors are expected in Malmö. In addition to the musical events, several protests have been announced in the wake of the Gaza war, including pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations.
Travel warning for Malmö
On Thursday, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) tightened its travel warning for the Swedish city. It said Israelis planning to visit Malmö are advised to reconsider. In view of the Gaza war, Swedish artists, including others, called for Israel’s withdrawal from the ESC. The organizers refused.
German participant Isaac said in an interview to the news portal “ZDFheute.de” that he received a lot of news on this topic. “If I don’t boycott the ESC, I will be accused of being an accomplice in the Gaza genocide,” the singer said. “Now pull yourself together, guys, have you drunk paint? We are a group of people who come together and make music. The theme of the event is “United by Music”. If we say Israel must leave now because the government somehow makes excuses – we are no longer “united by music”.
The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music show in the world. The pageant will be held in Sweden in 2024, after singer Lorin won last year.
Kalin will represent Austria in Malmö with the song “We Will Rave”. Kaleen will compete with 15 other acts for one of the ten final tickets in the second semi-final on May 9. The final will be held on May 11. (APA/dpa)
