4 weeks ago
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Two pro-Palestinian protesters try to rush on stage as Yuval Raphael sings New Day Will Rise in Basel
A Eurovision song contest crew member was hit with paint after two people tried to rush on stage to disrupt Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s performance on Saturday, organisers said.
The incident took place while Raphael, 24, was performing New Day Will Rise in Basel. No one was injured, and the man and woman involved were escorted from the venue.
A spokesperson for Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, which is organising the contest, said: “At the end of the Israeli performance, a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier on to the stage.
“They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit.
“The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.”
The pro-Palestinian protesters were later released by police.
A spokesman for Basel police said: “The organiser handed the two people over to the police. The police checked the two people and then released them. It is now up to the organiser to decide whether to press charges.”
Earlier, pro-Palestinian protests took place near a free concert in the centre of Basel against Israel’s inclusion in the contest, as the country intensifies its bombardment of Gaza and enforces blockades of food and other humanitarian supplies. A small group nearby also demonstrated with Israeli flags.
