Anti-Israel Protest at Eurovision 2025
An anti-Israel protester at the Eurovision opening event in 2025 made throat-slitting gestures and spit towards the Israeli delegation. The surge of anti-Israeli sentiments has led to calls for Israel's ouster from the competition. Israel has been participating in Eurovision since 1973 and has won four times. The 2024 Eurovision contest was hosted by Sweden in Malmö. The current Israeli representative, Yuval Raphael, survived a Hamas attack and sings a song focusing on overcoming hardship. Anti-Israel protesters in Basel demanded Israel's exclusion from Eurovision, accusing Israel of 'genocide.'