Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrators clashed with riot police in Basel as the Swiss city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday.

The protesters, who were demonstrating against Israel’s participation in the contest amid the ongoing war in Gaza, clashed briefly with police in the centre of the city shortly before Israel’s Eurovision entrant Yuval Raphael took to the stage at the St. Jakobshalle venue across town.

Blows were exchanged and police used tear gas and rolled in a water cannon truck as they strived to block demonstrators from marching through the centre of the northern Swiss city, thronging with Eurovision fans.

According to Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS, the confrontation began when police intervened to stop an altercation after two men rushed towards the protesters waving Israeli flags.

Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis in Basel about the demonstration, advising them to “avoid confrontations with demonstrators and to keep Israeli identifiers low-profile in public spaces.”

Amid a sea of Palestinian flags, hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, carried signs stating: “No Music for Murder,” “Stop Genocide,” and “Singing while Gaza Burns.”

Some of the protesters burned giant Israeli and US flags, while others set off red and green smoke in the air.

One woman, her face smeared with red, cradled a seemingly bloody bundle representing the children dying in the war raging in the Gaza Strip as police in riot gear looked on.

The protesters were demonstrating against Israel’s participation in the annual song contest, arguing that it should be banned from participating at a time when the Israeli military is ramping up its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Raphael, a 24-year-old amateur singer from Ra’anana, survived the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. She played dead and hid under a pile of bodies in a roadside bomb shelter for hours, with shrapnel embedded in her leg, until she was ultimately rescued.

During her performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” on Saturday, loud whistles could be heard in the arena, according to an AFP photographer in the hall.

There have been a number of smaller protests against Israel throughout Eurovision week in Basel, and demonstrators interrupted Raphael’s act during a dress rehearsal for one of the semi-finals.

Earlier this week, the Kan public broadcaster said it had filed a police complaint after filming a protester apparently making a “throat-slitting gesture” at the country’s delegation during the Eurovision opening ceremony parade on Sunday. Basel police have said that they are investigating the incident.

Overall, anti-Israel protests in Basel were muted compared to last year’s Eurovision in Malmo, Sweden, during which thousands of people marched in the city against Israel and the threat level was so high that Israel’s Eden Golan was forced to skip most events during the week outside of her performances.

Amy Spiro contributed to this report.