Far-left professional activist Greta Thunberg joined a crowd of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters in Malmo, Sweden on Thursday, marching in protest of Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest during the country’s war with Hamas.
On Thursday, an estimated 12,000 activists, Thunberg among them, flooded Malom’s historic Stortorget Square, then marched through the city streets to a rally at a park just a short distance from the Eurovision venue.
Protesters carried signs emblazoned with pro-Palestine slogans like “boycott Israel” and “Israel is a terror state,” flew Palestinian flags, and chanted “From river to sea, Palestine will be free”—a refrain that calls for the extermination of the Jewish homeland.
During the rally, the crowd set off canisters of red, black, and green smoke and played loud music while local police monitored the situation from rooftops and helicopters. Authorities indicate that, despite the noise and the disruption, the crowd was largely peaceful.
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“Young people are leading the way and showing the world how we should react to this,” Thunberg, 21, told reporters while draped in a keffiyeh scarf symbolizing Palestinian resistance. “I’m here to show we think it is outrageous and inexcusable for Eurovision to let Israel participate while committing a genocide.”
Less than a month after the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel, the Swedish climate activist set off another wave of controversy for a social media post showing solidarity with Palestine and declaring that it was time to “call for an immediate ceasefire, justice, and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.” Curiously, the bulk of the controversy focused not on a photo of Thunberg holding a “Stand with Gaza” sign, but rather on an octopus plushie visible in the picture.
Octopus imagery has been linked to antisemitic propaganda in the past, but it was not immediately clear whether this is what Thunberg was hoping to invoke. Nevertheless, it was enough to warrant condemnation from the Israeli government, and Thunberg has since been blacklisted by the country and all references to her activism have been purged from the national curriculum.
Related: Greta Thunberg Blacklisted in Israel for “Antisemitic” Octopus Plushie
In light of the fierce protests, Israeli Eurovision contestant Eden Golan was reportedly warned to stay in her hotel room between performances. Contest organizers had refused to exclude Israel from the competition despite calls from activists, arguing that Eurovision is intended to be politically neutral. However, organizers notably barred Russia from the 2022 contest after the invasion of Ukraine.
In an effort to bring down the temperature surrounding Golan’s performance, Eurovision forced Israel to rewrite the singer’s song submission, originally entitled “October Rain” in reference to the Hamas attacks. After a small revision, the song is now called “Hurricane,” and lyrics referencing the war have been toned down.
After the semi-finals on Thursday, Golan advanced to the final round of the Eurovision contest, which will be held on Saturday. Additional protests are expected during the final round as well.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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