Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time on Saturday night in Vienna as protests and broadcaster boycotts overshadowed the final.
Singer Dara secured victory with the song Bangaranga after a close contest with Israel’s Noam Bettan, whose entry Michelle finished second amid demonstrations against Israel’s participation throughout Eurovision week.
The final took place under heavy security after thousands gathered in Vienna to protest against Israel’s inclusion in the competition due to its genocidal war in Gaza.
Demonstrators marched through the Austrian capital carrying Palestinian flags and accusing organisers of applying different standards to Israel and Russia.
Five countries — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — withdrew from the contest in protest against the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete.
Several broadcasters in those countries refused to air the event.
The European Broadcasting Union has faced pressure over Israel’s participation for a third consecutive year. Critics pointed to the organisation’s decision to exclude Russia after the invasion of Ukraine while keeping Israel in the competition.
Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard criticised the EBU earlier this week. She said the refusal to suspend Israel showed “blatant double standards”.
An outdoor concert organised by pro-Palestinian groups took place in Vienna on Friday under the slogan “No Stage for Genocide”.
Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, one of the organisers, said inviting Israel to Eurovision was “an affront to all the people who believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness”.
About 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the city on Saturday before the final.
In the first semi-final earlier in the week, four spectators were removed from Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle during Bettan’s performance after chants of “stop the genocide” were heard inside the arena.
Israel’s result drew praise from Israeli officials despite the protests surrounding the contest.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz congratulated Bettan in a post on X. He said the singer’s performance answered what he called an “incitement and defamation campaign” led by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other European politicians.
Sánchez defended Spain’s boycott before the final and said his government stood on “the right side of history”.
More than 1,000 artists signed an open letter last month urging fans to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation. According to reports, the signatories included Macklemore and Paloma Faith.
The EBU introduced new voting rules this year after criticism surrounding last year’s televote process, when Israel also received strong public support.
Finland entered the contest among the favourites with performers Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen and their song Liekinheitin. The duo finished sixth with 279 points, only two points behind Italy in fifth place.
Finland received 141 points from juries and 138 from viewers. Estonia and Sweden both awarded Finland the maximum 12 jury points.
Finnish televoters gave their top public score to Israel.
The final also featured performances from former Eurovision acts including Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the competition in 2006, and Finland’s 2025 entrant Erika Vikman.
HT