May 9th 2024.
Eden Golan was welcomed with an overwhelming sea of cheers as she took to the stage for tonight's semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. This was a stark contrast to the previous night's Jury show, where the audience had booed and even waved Palestinian flags in protest against her participation. Tonight, 16 countries performed in Sweden, all vying for a chance to make it to the final on Saturday.
The evening began with performances from Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czechia, France, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, Spain, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, and Italy, before Eden Golan took the stage to perform her song "Hurricane." As she sang, the audience erupted into cheers, showing their support for the controversial entrant. This semi-final came after the Jury show the previous night, where the semi-finalists performed for a jury in case the public vote breakdown during the finals.
However, there were some changes made to Golan's performance. Due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, she had to change the lyrics and the name of her song, originally titled "October Rain." It was now called "Hurricane," but this did little to quell the outrage surrounding Israel's participation, given the rising death toll in Gaza. Despite this, the European Broadcasting Union expressed regret over the opening act making a political statement.
Last night's Jury show saw protests from the audience, with videos on social media showing Golan being met with boos and even chants of protest. The atmosphere in the venue was described as "horrible," with tension palpable in the air. Some attendees even claimed that security guards threatened to kick them out for expressing their opposition during Golan's performance. This is despite Eurovision's stance on peaceful protest, stating that they support the right for people to express their views.
On social media, there were speculations about the authenticity of the cheers heard during Golan's performance. Some suspected that "fake cheering" was inserted into the stream, with one user saying, "Not the fake clapping at the start, did they turn all the boos into cheering with audio tracks?" The controversy even extended to Rylan, the TV presenter who missed his iconic elevator interview with Golan, with some suspecting it to be a political statement.
Despite all the drama, Eurovision fans can join the online community on WhatsApp to stay updated on everything happening in Malmö. They can also participate in polls and share their reactions to each performance. As the competition gets closer to crowning a winner, tensions are high, and everyone is eagerly waiting to see who will emerge victorious in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
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