As Malmö, Sweden, a city that has become a center for Islamist racism in the past ten years and hosts the Eurovision Song Contest, which has sparked enormous pro-Palestinian mobilizations, is facing targeted attacks this week in Malmö, Sweden, a growing Jewish community.
Jewish residents told Die Welt that many people have decided to leave town while the contest is taking place because they feel they are” not welcome in]their ] own city.”
” There is a common feeling of uncertainty. You have the feeling that you are not encouraged in your own city”, Daniel Janouch, president of the Jewish Youth Association, told the German newspapers. During the ESC, I know of many Jews who want to keep Malmö.
According to Die Welt, Jews are extremely hesitant to appear clearly Jewish in public because of the country’s rising Muslim population, which has contributed to the country’s rising antisemitism rate.
” In a survey by the Central Council of Jews in Sweden, three out of four respondents said they were afraid of openly bearing Jewish symbols” , , Die Welt reported. ” One in two thinks about leaving the country”.
Every year, 37 nations, including Israel, send an actor to do an unique music at the Eurovision Song Contest. The best efficiency, as chosen by a mix of popular voting throughout the participating countries and a panel of wealthy courts, win, and that country hosts the next year’s event. Sweden is the winningest state in the quarter- century- ancient game, along with Ireland, both of which have won seven times.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of Sweden’s 1974 success in the battle, with the international struck” Waterloo” by Abba.
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Given the rise in hatred in Europe as a whole, Israel’s cooperation has long drawn controversy. This time, the anti- Israel activity, galvanized by the atrocities of Hamas’s October 7 criminal assault of the nation, has made anger at the country’s presence in the song contest also louder. International socialists and jihadist organizations condemned Israel for its efforts to destroy the Iran-backed jihadists and stop a duplicate of the massacre after the massacre that killed 1,200 people, including children as young as infants, on October 7.
In April, the Jewish television network Channel 12 sent reporters to Malmö to assess public sentiment due to Eurovision. The editors,  , Ohad Hemo and Elad Simchayoff, discovered popular support for Hamas, including protestations of the crimes committed on October 7, and faced real and verbal abuse at the hands of citizens identifying them as Israeli.
More regard is shown to pigs and monkeys than to animals. Immigrants are far superior to dogs. If it were off to me, there would be no Jews left on this earth”, one regional told the network.
Another local yelled,” I hope they kill you all,” as a group of Malmö residents threatened and spat at the editors.
Finnish officials have admitted to increased rates of ideology exercise, hatred, and other problems stemming from the development of “parallel societies” in the country led by extreme imams and other Islamic figures. As a result, the Jewish population has declined. Die Welt noted that the Jewish population of Malmö today is about half of what it was in the 1970s, a mere 1, 500 people. Authorities in Malmö have been witnessing significant anti-Israel protests this week, and they anticipate that they will grow even more likely on Thursday when Israel enters the semifinals of the competition and possibly on Saturday if Israel makes it to the Grand Final.
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The Swedish government has rejected calls to reconsider the contest’s location. The organizers of Eurovision, the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU), have also refused pressure to oust Israel from the contest – though they did demand Israel’s performer, Eden Golan, change the lyrics of her song to be less “political”. The song, initially called” October Rain”, paid homage to the victims of Hamas. The song is now called” Hurricane” and contains many of the original lyrics, but not those honoring the children slain by the jihadists:” they were all good children, each one of them”.
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The EBU also sent a message to participants reminding them that the Palestinian flag’s display was prohibited because it did not represent a nation at the event. The only non- country flags allowed at Eurovision are the LGBTQIAP2S+ flags.
” The ESC is a non- political event”, the official contest rules , read. The Host Broadcaster and all participating broadcasters are responsible for making sure that the ESC is never politicized, instrumentalized, or otherwise discredited.
Israel has also withdrawn from the tournament, despite Israeli security officials ‘ advice to Malmö residents during the event.
Golan herself is reportedly forced to stay in her hotel room largely because of her fear of being attacked. The , Times of Israel reported on Tuesday that the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s top security agency, visited Malmö a week before the tournament to help arrange security for the Israeli delegation to Eurovision.
Golan is expected to take the stage and perform” Hurricane” on Thursday.
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