FLASH
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Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Vienna towards the arena where the Eurovision final will take place, waving Palestinian flags and holding a giant banner with the names of thousands of people killed in Gaza.
Protesters accuse Eurovision organizers of normalizing war crimes by allowing Israel to participate in the contest despite the war in Gaza. This is the third major protest in Vienna against Israel's participation and is deepening the crisis facing Eurovision this year.
The contest is organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which insists that Eurovision is a non-political event. However, five European public broadcasters have boycotted this year's edition and have not sent representatives to the competition.
Critics accuse the EBU of double standards, recalling that Russia was expelled from Eurovision in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine, while Israel continues to participate despite the military offensive in Gaza.
In addition to political tensions and street protests, attention is also focused on the public vote in today's final. Finland is currently leading the polls, while Israeli representative Noah Betan is among the main favorites.
Last year, Israel won the popular vote by a landslide, a result that sparked controversy in several European countries. It was later reported that the Israeli government had funded an online campaign encouraging voters in Europe to support the Israeli team, a move that critics said was against the spirit of the contest.
The Eurovision final takes place in a tense political and security atmosphere, as organizers are facing growing pressure for how they are managing the crisis surrounding Israel's participation.
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