Switzerland emerged as the victor of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmo, Sweden, amid controversy surrounding Israel’s participation and the expulsion of the Dutch entry.
Nemo clinched the top spot with their performance of “The Code,” which combined elements of rap, rock, drum ‘n bass, and classical opera, including a mesmerizing act of balancing on a revolving spinning disc.
Accepting the trophy, Nemo expressed hopes for the contest to uphold its promise and continue promoting peace.
Croatian act Baby Lasagne, who garnered the highest public vote, secured second place with their rock track “Rim Tim Tagi Dim.”
Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona & Jerry Hall claimed the third spot with their song “Teresa and Maria.”
This year’s contest was marked by controversy, with protests and calls for Israel’s exclusion due to its actions in Gaza.
During the final, loud booing accompanied Israel’s performance by Eden Golan and when Israel received its scores.
The Dutch entry was marred by controversy when Joost Klein was expelled from the contest following an incident. Dutch broadcaster AvroTros opted not to present the jury voting after this incident.
Klein was initially under investigation for questioning Golan’s participation during a news conference amid the conflict in Gaza. However, he was disqualified due to alleged verbal threats made to a female production worker.
In Malmo, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched against Israel’s participation in the competition.
Protesters waving Palestinian flags set off smoke flares in the Palestinian flag colours and chanted: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Israel is a terror state,” and they demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.
An alternative Palestinian song contest, FalastinVision, was held Saturday in Malmo to protest Israel’s participation.
In March, the EBU, which organizes the competition, confirmed the participation of Golan, despite worldwide demands for her to be removed amid the Israeli onslaught against Gaza.
