Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who survived Hamas‘ 2023 attack on Israel, faced protests including an alleged throat-slitting gesture during the Eurovision’s opening event in Basel, Switzerland, over the weekend.
In a statement to Newsweek, a Kanton Basel-Stadt police spokesperson wrote, “The Cantonal Police is aware of the incident and has drawn up a report for the responsible prosecution authorities.”
Why It Matters
The incident highlights the tension surrounding Israel’s participation in Eurovision, a popular music competition in Europe. The event generally has aimed to stay apolitical, but critics have called for Israel to be barred from participation due to the ongoing conflict with Hamas and its actions in Gaza, which have sparked humanitarian concerns.
Hamas attacked an Israel music festival on October 7, 2023. There were more than 1,000 Israeli casualties, and another 149 were taken hostage. Since then, Israel has invaded the Gaza strip. More than 52,000 Palestinians had died by the end of April, the Associated Press reported, citing the Gaza Ministry of Health.
What to Know
The Israel Broadcasting Corporation filed a complaint with the Swiss police after one protester allegedly made a throat-slitting gesture at Raphael during the opening day, Israeli broadcaster Kan wrote in a statement.
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“The incident occurred during the delegation parade,” the statement reads. “The corporation also contacted the European Broadcasting Union and asked them to take action to identify the young man who made the slaughter gesture and spat at the members of the delegation.”
During the ceremony, protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs reading “No applause for genocide” and “Singing while Gaza burns,” a sign of frustration that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) allowed Israel to participate in the competition.
Raphael, who is performing her song “New Day Will Rise” at the competition, was among those who survived the October 7 attack. Last year, Israeli singer Eden Golan skipped Eurovision’s “turquoise carpet” event.
What People Are Saying
Raphael wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Love will always triumph over hate.”
Nemo, the Swiss artist who won Eurovision last year, told The Huffington Post: “Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”
Author Hen Mazzig wrote on X: “Yuval Raphael is a 24-year-old woman who survived the Nova massacre. She didn’t just witness her friends being murdered by Hamas, she had to hide under their bodies and play dead for 8 hours in the shelter of death as the terrorists came back to finish them off. We will never truly grasp the horrors she lived through that day. Her dream? To sing one song at Eurovision, in memory of her murdered friends. And your mission? To destroy that dream. What a pitiful purpose to dedicate your time and energy to breaking a survivor, simply because she is Israeli and Jewish. How empty your life must be if bullying a victim of one of this generation’s worst terror attacks is what gives it meaning.”
More than 70 former Eurovision contestants wrote in a letter, reported by Euro News: “By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes. The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.”
What Happens Next
Debate about Israeli’s involvement in Eurovision is set to continue. Raphael is set to perform during the competition’s semifinal on Thursday.
