Eurovision 2026: Anti-genocide chants 'censored' as Israel qualifies for final

Eurovision 2026: Anti-genocide chants 'censored' as Israel qualifies for final Submitted by Imene Guiza on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 14:03 Semifinal of song competition, which is facing its biggest boycott ever over Israel's inclusion, marked by pro-Palestinian protests and slogans Israeli singer Noam Bettan, representing Israel with the song 'Michelle', performs during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria on 12 May 2026 (Tobias Schwarz /AFP) Off As Israel's Eurovision contender Noam Bettan took to the stage in Vienna on Tuesday evening, chants of “stop the genocide” and “free Palestine ” rose from the audience during his introduction and the opening moments of his song. But when footage of the semifinal performance at Wiener Stadthalle was uploaded to Eurovision's official YouTube channel soon after, fans noticed that the declarations of solidarity with Palestinians were missing, sparking anger and accusations of censorship by Austrian host broadcaster ORF and organiser European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Four people were also removed from the contest due to pro-Palestine action during Israel's performance, organisers said.