Eurovision viewers have been left stunned after the winner of the semi-final of the competition was accidentally leaked. The public vote in last night’s semi-final in Malmo, Sweden, was aired on live TV, baffling viewers.
Italian broadcast RAI revealed the tele-voting percentages by mistake on air during the Thursday night performance. The percentages of public votes are usually kept secret until after the competition ends.
Israel, which has faced huge protests against its place in the competition this year due to the ongoing war in Gaza, won the Italian public vote by a landslide. Nearly 40 percent of viewers in Italy backed the Israeli singer Eden Golan, while the runners-up, the Netherlands, only won seven percent of the vote.
The unprecedented vote tally surpasses the 24 percent of Italians who voted for Ukraine in the 2022 competition.
The astonishing margin of victory has prompted bookmakers to slash the odds for Israel‘s win at tomorrow’s event in Sweden’s third-biggest city. Israel is now the second favourite to win, behind Croatia.
This year’s singing contest has faced controversy and huge protests due to the inclusion of Israeli singer Eden Golan with the song Hurricane. The song was renamed from the politically charged title October Rain.
Activists and fans alike have urged the competition to disqualify Israel due to the country’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has led to about 35,000 deaths. Campaigners have decried double standards after Eurovision banned Russia from the competition following the invasion of Ukraine.
While Israel earned support from the Italian public, Eden Golan faced a more hostile reception inside the Malmo venue last night.
The 20-year-old singer’s performance was booed and drowned out by chants of “Free Palestine” from the audience.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, praised Ms Golan last night for “successfully facing a wave of antisemitism while standing and representing the state of Israel with respect”.
Thousands of protesters, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, also marched outside the venue against Israel‘s inclusion.
Ms Thunberg said: “It is outrageous that Israel is allowed to participate. We cannot remain silent during a genocide.”
An Israel win tomorrow night would cause another headache for Eurovision organisers, since the winners host the competition the following year.