Between calls for boycotts, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations and a potential burning of the Quran, the organization of Eurovision in Malmö is turning into a nightmare. From May 3 to 12, 100,000 visitors are expected in the Swedish port city of 360,000 residents, for an edition that is already shaping up to be one of the most controversial in the contest's history, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.

"The threat level is high," said Petra Stenkula, chief of police in Malmö. In August, Sweden raised its terror alert level to four out of five, after several Islamist groups called for attacks there in response to desecrations of the Quran. During the contest, Swedish police will receive reinforcements from Denmark and Norway.

Some officers will be equipped with weapons "we are not used to seeing" in Sweden and Malmo, said Stenkula at a press conference on Wednesday, April 17, confirming that requests for authorization have been registered for a dozen demonstrations and a new burning of the Quran on May 3 in central Malmö.

After Loreen's victory in Liverpool last year, several Swedish cities were candidates to host the 2024 edition. The decision to hold the competition in Malmö was made by the public broadcasting group Sveriges Television in July 2023. Located in the south of the country, just across from Copenhagen and half an hour by train from Kastrup International Airport, Malmö has many advantages, including having already successfully hosted Eurovision in 2013.

The context this year is radically different. At the heart of the debates is the participation of Israel, which is the subject of a complaint for acts of genocide in Gaza before the International Court of Justice. In Malmö, Israel will be represented by young singer Eden Golan. Her song, referring to the massacre of October 7, 2023, was twice rejected by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as "too political," before being accepted in its current version, entitled "Hurricane."

Earlier this year, thousands of Nordic artists signed petitions demanding that Israel be excluded, along with Russia, due to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the mobilization has spread, notably to England, where over 450 artists and organizations have called on selected British singer Olly Alexander to boycott the event. At the end of March, he co-signed a letter, along with candidates from seven other countries, calling for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza" and "the return of all hostages."

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