I’m an Israeli Eurovision superfan

Miki Israeli is a Eurovision superfan, having made her seventh trip to see the sequin-spangled competition with her friends and around 70 fellow Israelis to cheer on her country’s entry, Eden Golan.

Her love for Eurovision inspired her to join EuroFalsh, a lip-syncing and dancing group that perform a medley of Eurovision hits every Sunday at a Tel Aviv bar.

But this year’s contest, taking place in Malmö, Sweden this week, is unlike any previous Eurovision contest the 46-year-old has attended.

The usually joyful event has been overshadowed by the war in Gaza, with more than 10,000 pro-Palestine protesters hitting the streets of central Malmö demanding Israel be kicked out of Eurovision over its war against Hamas, which has reportedly killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.

Security has been tightened around the city, with police carrying heavier weapons including submachine guns patrolling the streets, surveillance drones monitoring crowds and airport-style security controls at the arena. The Israeli government issued a travel warning urging citizens to reconsider travelling to Malmö as there was a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack.

“We are here even though it’s frightening for us,” Ms Israeli told i. “We are here for Eden Golan to be strong on the stage, and to celebrate life and spread love.”

Demonstrators, some chanting “free Palestine” and “Israel is a terror state”, marched through the city on Thursday, when Ms Golan performed her song “Hurricane” in the second semi final. Swedish police said the demonstration was “very peaceful”, and that one person was arrested on suspicion of carrying a knife.

Pia Jacobsen, a spokesperson at Stoppa Israel, the organisation behind the protests, said British and Irish people were among the demonstraters, with many coming on buses from nations including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway.

She said the march went smoothly aside from a few people “yelling from the sides” at the demonstrators, telling i another protest will take place on Saturday to coincide with the Eurovision grand final. “We don’t accept that Israel should be allowed to compete in Eurovision,” she added.

During Ms Golan’s Thursday performance, which saw the 20-year-old singer get through to the grand final, the singer was greeted by both boos and applause from the audience, with some turning their backs to the stage.

Ms Israeli was among the crowd where spectators were jeering at Ms Golan inches away from her, describing the experience as “heart-breaking”. While she was not surprised when people booed, “it still hurts”.

“I was sat near someone who was booing and yelling ‘free Palestine’,” she added. “But there were people around saying ‘don’t do that, be quiet, we want to hear the song’. It was quite emotional for us.”

During Ms Golan’s performance in Wednesday’s jury show, some of the chanting drowned out her singing.

The booing was met with “counter cheering” by many others in the audience that grew into huge applause, said solo traveller Jack Lawson, 26, from Tel Aviv, who was at the show.

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“From what I could tell, there were probably people in the audience who were not planning on cheering for Israel but were almost forced to pick a side, and whatever you did was a statement,” he told i.

Ms Golan has reportedly been advised to remain in her hotel room, with security escorting her to rehearsals and performances at the contest venue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Ms Golan for performing despite “contending with an ugly wave of antisemitism”.

Ms Israeli and her three friends are among a group of about 70 Israeli Eurovision fans who travelled to Sweden for the competition, but she said they are actively trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves while out and about in Malmö.

They do not speak Hebrew to each other and are not waving the Israeli flag outside the contest arena. “Inside the venue it felt good to take our flags out, like taking your identity out of the closet,” she said.

Mr Lawrence left his Israeli flag home, saying it did not feel safe. He walked through the protests in central Malmö to get to the railway station, describing how overwhelmed he felt by the anti-Israel sentiment.

“It’s a very strange feeling to be surrounded by thousands of people, possibly some of them who hate you because of your identity, even though they don’t know who you are,” he said.

While the protests did feel “pretty intimidating”, Mr Lawrence said the city is still buzzing with energy. “You see local Swedish people putting on fancy outfits and making day out of it, it’s gradually getting increasingly festive.”

The European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded from the competition, but asked Ms Golan to modify the lyrics to her original song “October Rain”, which appeared to reference the Hamas attack on 7 October that killed about 1,2000 Israelis.

Protesters pointed to what they have labelled as double standards in the EBU’s decision to ban Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The war in Gaza has displaced millions from their homes, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Since ground operations began on 27 October, 267 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting, according to figures released by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

“Half of our hearts are hurting, and half is encouraging Eden,” Ms Israeli said.