Eurovision Song Contest final takes the stage, stung by Gaza boycott

The Eurovision Song Contest's final takes place in Vienna on Saturday, stung by five nations' boycott over Israel taking part, although protests in the city were muted.

The garish and usually good-natured competition between pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, now in its 70th year, has been plunged into crisis by a dispute over Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The public broadcasters of heavyweights Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia, are not taking part in protest at Israel's participation.

"We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on Friday.

Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it.

SMALLEST CONTEST IN TWO DECADES

At least 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack, most of them civilians. Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins.

The boycotts cut the number of contest entries to 35, the fewest since 2003, which will almost certainly reduce the global television viewership of an event that last year was estimated at 166 million people, more than the Super Bowl's 128 million. There will be 25 countries, including Israel, taking part in Saturday's final.

"We're going through some challenging times at the moment," Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said of the dispute. He also issued a formal warning to Israel's public broadcaster KAN over an appeal in videos posted online by its contestant to vote for him the maximum 10 times.

KAN said it follows the rules and the videos were taken down.

The contest's voting rules were tightened last year in response to broadcasters' concerns about an Israeli advertising campaign that may have influenced the outcome. Israel came second after a massive public vote for it, which gave it far more points than it earned from national juries.

Green urged viewers to put the world's problems to one side during the show, which starts at 9 p.m. CET (1900 GMT).

"Just for a moment, well maybe 4-1/2 hours, maybe close the curtains to the outside world and dream that something else is possible," he said.

PROTESTS IN VIENNA HAVE BEEN SMALL

The mood in the Austrian capital has been tense and subdued, with protests over Israel's participation drawing only small crowds. Police are still bracing for protests on Saturday and anticipate possible "blockades and disruption attempts".

A protest near the venue drew just a few hundred people, a fraction of the 3,000 organisers had said they expected.

There was a brief disruption during Tuesday's semi-final, when one protester chanted "Stop, stop the genocide" and "Free, free Palestine" within range of a television microphone.

He and three others "were removed from the arena for disruptive behaviour," the European Broadcasting Union and Austrian national broadcaster ORF, the organiser and host, said in a joint statement.

Israel's entrant Noam Bettan told Reuters he heard some booing as he took the stage.

Finland's entry, "Liekinheitin," or Flamethrower, featuring violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen on a burning set, is the favourite this year, followed by Australia's "Eclipse," sung by Delta Goodrem.