Eurovision winner Nemo says organisers didn’t do enough to support acts amid Israel tensions

This year’s Eurovision was more fraught than usual.

Israel, which has taken part in the contest since 1973, had to change the lyrics of its entry after the original version broke rules on political neutrality because it was thought to reference the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

At the event, there were backstage tensions between the Israeli delegation and some other countries, which Israel later said amounted to “an unprecedented display of hatred”.

Meanwhile, during the semi-finals, former Swedish winner Eric Saade performed in the half-time slot with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf wrapped around his wrist.

And in the build-up to the grand final, Ireland’s contestant withdrew from a dress rehearsal after complaining about Israeli TV of coverage of their performance; and France’s singer broke with protocol in the dress rehearsal by interrupting his song to make an impassioned speech about peace.

Separately, the Dutch entry was disqualified because of an alleged confrontation with a female camera operator.

Although the rows did partly overshadow their win, Nemo added that they stayed focused on telling their story, “because it was – and I’m still convinced it is – an important story to tell”.

“Knowing that it had an impact, and a lot of people found something in that, and a lot of people gained something from that, especially young queer people, that makes me really happy.”