Last night it was claimed that Islamic extremists are planning to bomb the Eurovision Song Contest venue in Sweden next month in protest at Israel’s participation.
Undercover reporters from an Israeli news channel said guards at the largest mosque in Malmo – the event’s host city – told them that terrorists are plotting to attack the stadium where the five-day contest will be held.
Posing as British Muslim tourists, the journalists claim that security guards warned them not to attend the event because it would “explode”.
One added: ‘Don’t go there, don’t go there. They will blow it up.
The Israeli television channel Keshet 12 reported the recorded conversation to the organizers of the event, as well as to the Swedish police, who are now investigating.
Undercover reporters from the Israeli channel Keshet 12 have uncovered a plot to bomb the Eurovision Song Contest. In the photo: singer Eden Golan, 20, who will represent Israel.
Last night, a Eurovision spokesperson said the contest will go ahead and that the 15,000-capacity Malmo Arena will feature artists representing at least 37 countries.
Fans from all over the world are expected to attend.
Pro-Palestinian activists have called on Eurovision to ban Israel over the war in Gaza, which has left more than 32,000 dead according to Hamas, most of whom were women and children.
Eden Golan, 20, a Russian-Israeli singer, will represent Israel.
Eurovision previously banned Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but is allowing Israel to compete this year despite Golan’s entrance song sparking controversy before preparations for this year’s competition even began.
Their song was initially called October Rain and was intended to give an Israeli perspective to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left nearly 1,200 dead.
But Eurovision demanded that the lyrics be rewritten, claiming they made explicit reference to the massacre, violating the contest’s commitment to political neutrality.
The song included the lines “There’s no air left to breathe” and “They were all good kids, every one of them,” but the lyrics have since been changed and the song was renamed Hurricane.
Two journalists from Keshet 12 visited Malmo, which has a Muslim population of 50,000, the third highest in Sweden after Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Pro-Palestinian activists have called on Eurovision to ban Israel over the war in Gaza, which has left more than 32,000 dead according to Hamas, most of whom were women and children. In the photo: a demonstration in Malmo.
Posters have appeared around Malmo calling on organizers to exclude Israel from the competition.
Reporters found themselves besieged in the streets as members of the Muslim public cursed, spat at, and even assaulted journalists on camera when they discovered they were Israelis.
The reporting team also spoke to stallholders openly calling for the destruction of Israel, and saw maps of Palestine being sold that included the entire land mass of Israel.
Also in the documentary, the two journalists entered the Al-Wakf mosque posing as two Muslims from London and spoke in English to two of the mosque’s security guards.
One, wearing a high-visibility yellow jacket, told journalists not to attend Eurovision because he would be attacked. The guard said: ‘They will blow it up… because there will be Israelis there.’
The second guard added: “Israel is going to sing there, Palestine is shit.” Palestine is shit.” ‘
The first guard added that he had relatives who worked near the Malmo Arena and that they were told not to go to work for two weeks, around the time of Eurovision.
He said: ‘My parents are working there. At work they were told they couldn’t go to work for two weeks, because they might explode.’ Last night a Eurovision spokesperson said: “We take the safety of Eurovision Song Contest attendees and staff very seriously.”
“All threats of which we are aware are reported to the relevant authorities.”
Eden Golan’s song was initially called October Rain and was intended to give an Israeli perspective to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left nearly 1,200 dead. But Eurovision demanded the lyrics be rewritten due to the contest’s political neutrality.
At least nine protesters were arrested in London on Saturday after pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed with each other in front of police.
The capital is believed to have hosted nearly 15 national marches on Palestine since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.