Malmö is bracing itself for the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest tonight. Security measures in the Swedish city have been visibly increased. Police officers patrol everywhere and the area around the Malmö Arena concert hall in particular is closely monitored: the roads are cordoned off with roadblocks and snipers are on standby on the roofs.
The stricter measures have been taken because the level of terrorist threat in Sweden is high. Last summer, a series of Quran burnings angered part of the Muslim world. The police are also monitoring possible disturbances around planned demonstrations. Many people believe that Israel should have been banned from the Eurovision Song Contest due to the war in the Gaza Strip.
Compared to previous editions in Rotterdam, Turin and Liverpool, the police are visibly more present. However, other recent editions such as Kiev (2017) and Tel Aviv (2019), where violence also threatened, also had high security, with the deployment of many soldiers and heavy armored vehicles.
What is particularly striking this year is the extra security in the hotels where the delegations are staying. The buildings were thoroughly inspected in advance with the help of bomb dogs, detection gates have been installed and ordinary people cannot simply enter.
Israeli entry Eden Golan was even advised to stay in her room all week and only come out for rehearsals and shows. This year, for the first time, the Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS has a personal security guard who keeps an eye on Joost Klein, the entry of our northern neighbors.
Police in Malmö are particularly busy on Thursday, when a mass demonstration is planned in the city center. Tens of thousands of people may then take to the streets against Israel’s participation in the song competition. (mts, belga)
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