At the conclusion of the most controversial edition of the Eurovision Festival ever, it was Nemo, an interpreter from Switzerland, who lifted – and, shortly afterwards, left – the trophy in Malmö, Sweden. The Codea theme where rap, lyrical singing and musical theater are one, won the jury’s vote and, at the end of a voting sequence unsuitable for those with heart failure, scored 591 points, enough to give Switzerland the victory.
In second place was Croatia, which was, during the months leading up to the contest, seen by bookmakers as the most likely winner. Israel, undoubtedly the participating country that generated the most controversy throughout the festival, ended up in fifth place, after obtaining 323 points from the televote (only behind Croatia). Whether during the performance or during the voting sequence, there were several moments in which Eden Golen, the interpreter of Hurricane, was booed.
Yolanda and her Shout gave Portugal 10th place, marking the third time since Salvador Sobral’s victory in Kiev, in 2017, that Portugal is in the top 10 of the competition (it was also with Maro and Longing, longing, in 2022). During the performance, Iolanda used a pattern relating to Palestine on her nail polish and ended the song by stating that “peace will prevail”.
Before and during the performance, the outside of the building was filled with protesters protesting against Israel’s participation in the event, due to the constant attacks it has carried out in recent times in the Gaza Strip. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was one of those detained by Swedish authorities.
