Eurovision: Irish public award Israel second place despite protests

The Irish public have backed Israel’s Eurovision entry by awarding Eden Golan the second most points, just behind Croatia.

This despite a controversial Eurovision Song Contest which saw thousands protest on the streets of Malmö against Israel’s inclusion.

Each country awards two sets of points based on a public vote and a jury of music professionals from that nation.

The Irish jury did not award any points to Israel, while Israel awarded no points to Ireland in both the public and jury vote.

However, Irish viewers selected the Israeli song as their second favourite, awarding Ms Golan 10 points.

The UK’s public vote also backed the 20-year-old singer, selecting her song as their favourite. This briefly put her at the top of the leader board before ultimately finishing in fifth place with a total of 375 points.

With Switzerland’s Nemo Mettler ultimately taking the top prize, Golan’s track Hurricane had been reworked from a previous track called October Rain, thought to reference the Hamas attack which sparked the current conflict.

While facing loud jeers and boos from the audience, there was also strong support among the crowd, with the BBC’s Graham Norton describing it as a “mixed reaction”.

Ireland’s contestant Bambie Thug was awarded the second most points from the UK public, leaving them with a sixth-place finish.

Interviewed after the competition, the singer made their feelings about Israel’s inclusion clear.

“From the top six, minus one, we’re all freedom fighters and I adore all of us.”

The singer from Macroom in Co Cork later accused the competition’s organisers of not supporting them over a dispute with the Israeli broadcaster, Kan, claiming they had broken rules during the competition’s semi-final.

Speaking at a press conference, they said: “So now that I’m free. I can talk about everything right?

“Yeah, so Kan the broadcaster incited violence against me twice, three times. We brought it up to the EBU. They said they (would) follow up.

“They waited to the last minute, we still haven’t gotten statement back to us, allowed us to be scapegoats, allowed us to be the spokesperson for standing up for ourselves.”

The contest winner, Switzerland’s Nemo Mettler, added they were “really sad” during the competition following the chaotic scenes and protests.

“I have to say this whole experience was really intense, and not just pleasant all the way,” they said.

“There were a lot of things that didn’t seem like it was all about love and unity. And that made me really sad and at the same time … there was so much love here as well.”