“The organiser handed the two people over to the police”
Yuval Raphael representing Israel performs on stage(Image: Getty Images)
A man from Manchester was arrested during the Eurovision Song Contest final after pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards Israeli singer Yuval Raphael on stage.
The singer was left ‘shaken and upset’ after the incident, her team has said.
The incident took place as the October 7 survivor sang her entry New Day Will Rise, which was greeted with cheers and boos, as BBC Eurovision commentator Graham Norton said there was a ‘mixed response’ in the arena in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday night.
Israel finished in second place with 357 points, with the UK awarding the country its 12 points in the public vote.
Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, said its supporters David Curry, 22, from Manchester, and Meaghan Leon, 27, from London, had been arrested.
On Saturday, a spokesman for Israeli broadcaster Kan said the protesters ‘were blocked by security officials, but Raphael was shaken and upset’. “The delegation was needed to move location for 15 minutes,” he added. “At the same time, a big anti-Israel protest takes place in the centre of Basel. Israeli national security council issued a warning to Israeli civilians in the city to keep a low profile.”
Israel came second(Image: Getty Images)
A spokesman for Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR said: “At the end of the Israeli performance a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier on to the stage. They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.”
Swiss police confirmed the two people were handed over to them and that they have now been released.
A spokesman for Basel police said: “The organiser handed the two people over to the police. The police checked the two people and then released them. It is now up to the organiser to decide whether to press charges.”
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Earlier, there were pro-Palestinian protests near a free concert in the centre of Basel to demonstrate against Israel’s inclusion, with a small group nearby also protesting with Israeli flags. Later the group advocating for Israel to be removed from Eurovision moved across Basel, where they were met by a significant police presence, and tear gas was seen being used.
It comes after Raphael’s rehearsal for Thursday’s second semi-final of the competition was “disrupted” by six people with “oversized flags and whistles” who obstructed her act. SRG SSR, which is organising the event in Basel after Nemo triumphed for Switzerland with The Code in Malmo 2024, said the group was quickly ejected from the St Jakobshalle arena.
Austria won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest with JJ’s song Wasted Love, with Israel second.