As the curtains rise on the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna starting Tuesday, the iconic over-the-top European pop music celebration finds itself overshadowed by deep political division, centered on the debate over Israel’s inclusion in this year’s competition.
For a week leading up to the first semifinal, the Austrian capital has been decked in the contest’s signature branding, with heart motifs lining city streets and banners bearing this year’s official motto, “United by Music.” Thirty-five national acts have gathered to compete for the coveted continental musical crown, but five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — have already pulled out in a coordinated boycott of Israel’s participation.
Tensions are running high in Vienna, where multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrations are scheduled throughout the contest week, prompting a massive security deployment. Austrian law enforcement from across the country have been reassigned to the capital, with additional operational support from neighboring German police forces. The heightened security posture also comes in the wake of a recent terror plot revelation: just last month, a 21-year-old Austrian man pled guilty to plotting an attack on a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group. Sylvia Mayer, head of Austria’s domestic intelligence service DSN, warned that the current terror threat level remains elevated, with risks posed both by Islamist extremist networks and groups affiliated with Iran.
Israeli representative Noam Bettan is among the 15 acts set to take the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle arena for Tuesday’s first semifinal, where he will perform his ballad “Michelle” to compete for a spot in Saturday’s grand final. Bettan is aiming to secure Israel a second consecutive final berth after the country took second place in last year’s contest. Like 2024 Israeli competitor Yuval Raphael, Bettan has already prepared for potential hostile reception, training to continue his performance even if audiences boo him. The top 10 vote-getters from Tuesday’s semifinal will advance to the final, joining the 10 qualifiers from Thursday’s second semifinal. Automatic final spots are reserved for the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy — the contest’s largest financial backers — as well as 2024 winner Austria, which qualifies automatically as this year’s host.
Heading into the competition, Finland is the clear bookmakers’ favorite to take the crown, with high-energy entry “Liekinheitin” (“Flamethrower”) performed by violinist Linda Lampenius and pop vocalist Pete Parkkonen. Other notable acts in Tuesday’s semifinal include Greek contender Akylas with fan-favorite party rap track “Ferto” (“Bring It”), Portuguese vocal group Bandidos do Cante with the soulful ballad “Rosa,” and San Marino representative Senhit’s upbeat party anthem “Superstar,” which features a surprise guest spot from Culture Club icon Boy George.
Long known as a space for playful, and occasionally sharp, national rivalries, Eurovision has increasingly struggled to insulate itself from geopolitics in recent years. In 2022, Russia was expelled from the competition immediately following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 2024 contest in Malmo, Sweden, and last year’s event in Basel, Switzerland, both saw large pro-Palestinian protests calling for Israel’s expulsion over its military campaign in Gaza against Hamas, alongside allegations of rule-breaking coordinated marketing efforts to secure votes for Israeli contestants.
After the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the governing body of Eurovision, rejected demands to remove Israel from this year’s lineup, the five boycotting nations announced their non-participation last December. In response to widespread vote-rigging allegations from past contests, the EBU has implemented stricter voting rules for this year’s event, cutting the maximum number of votes per person in half to 10 and adding new safeguards to detect and block “suspicious or coordinated voting activity.”
Despite the ongoing controversy and public divisions, Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic, author of *Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest*, says he is confident the long-running competition will navigate this latest challenge, just as it has overcome countless past crises. “We’ll see demonstrations, but we’ll also see a lot of colorful events going on which will really represent what Eurovision is about, which is bringing Europeans together,” Vuletic explained. “If you look at the history of Eurovision, it’s gone through so many crises, so many political challenges, so many geopolitical changes in Europe, and it’s always managed to survive.”