Record alert for terrorism in Sweden ahead of Eurovision

Police guard outside Malmo Arena ahead of Eurovision in Malmo, Sweden. April 26, 2024.

Sweden is on high alert ahead of Eurovision next week, and specifically Malmo where the event will be held. This is due to Israel’s participation in the competition and an anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sentiment that pervaded the city, as well as among many of the competition’s fans.

During the coming week, approximately one hundred thousand additional visitors are expected to arrive in preparation for the first semi-final on Tuesday, the second semi-final (in which Israel is set to participate) on Thursday, and the final itself next Saturday night. BBC News quoted Malmo police chief Petra Stenkula as saying that the entire country was “on a terror level of four out of five.”

It was further reported that Malmo will experience one of the country’s largest policing efforts ever. Additional personnel were recruited from around Sweden, most usually armed. Forces were recruited from neighboring Denmark and Norway. An internal Swedish police report describes the country as a “preferred target for violent jihadi groups,” citing risks of unrest, cyber attacks, and broadcast interference.

Large anti-Israel demonstrations planned 

Outside the arena where the competition will be held, large demonstrations are planned against Israel’s participation. This comes after months of controversy that made the competition politically charged in an unprecedented way. Among others, the lyrics to the Israeli song had to be altered as per the request of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) so that they would not echo the October 7 massacre.

Israeli Eurovision representative Eden Golan and her team in Malmo. (credit: Alon Talmor)

Israeli Eurovision representative Eden Golan and her team in Malmo. (credit: Alon Talmor)

Artists and musicians from around the world, including a thousand Swedes, signed an open letter earlier this year calling for Israel’s exclusion from the competition.

Last week, Israel’s National Security Council increased the travel warning for the Eurovision Song Contest from level two (occasional threat) to level three (moderate threat). It recommended that Israelis planning to visit the city consider the necessity of their travel. The travel warning will be limited to the period of the Eurovision events and subject to a situation assessment.