This year’s Eurovision Song Contest was the centre of a protest as two people tried to storm the stage during the Israeli performance, leaving one crew member hit with paint
Eurovision 2025: Israel performance hit with ‘mixed response’
The Eurovision Song Contest was the centre of an attempted protest mid-performance. A crew member has been hit with paint following a performance in Basel, Switzerland as Israel protests got into the stadium.
Two people tried to rush the stage during Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s entry, organisers have said. A spokesman for SRG SSR said: “At the end of the Israeli performance a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto 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.”
While the scenes weren’t shown on air during the BBC’s programming, viewers were also left confused after their controversial performance sounded like it was met with all-round cheers. As Israel’s hopeful Yuval Raphael thanked viewers, UK commentator Graham Norton told viewers: “I’m not sure what you’re hearing at home, but it was a mixed response.”
His comments came after the Eurovision Song Contest was plagued by controversy over Israel’s participation in the annual event. Many had called for them to be excluded. The contest had been criticised after it reportedly covered the sounds of the audience booing the controversial entrant and adding fake applause.
It has been said that the competition’s bosses chose to drown out the sounds of booing when she performed New Day Will Rise for a rehearsal on Friday night. Shortly after the performance on Saturday, bosses released a statement.
It said: “For the Eurovision Song Contest, the host broadcaster SRG SSR is working with the ‘audio sweetening’ method, which is common practice for major international productions. This process helps to harmonise the sound of the transitions between moderations, video clips and the individual acts and to create a consistent soundscape for the TV audience.
“It is used exclusively for the technical rounding off of the programme. This process is used equally and identically for all acts. The competition and its results are not affected in any way.” Those watching at home quickly took to social media to comment on the mixed response after it aired.
The show saw UK’s entry Remember Monday take to the stage against 25 other international acts. They were act number eight and the trio had hopes of avoiding the dreaded ‘nil points’ with their tune, What The Hell Just Happened.
Tommy Cash also performed Espresso Macchiato for Estonia. However, the performance left viewers at home baffled. The unusual tune left fans rushing to Twitter/X to discuss the song which they said sounded ‘like a joke that went too far’.
Tommy, whose real name is Tomas Tammemets, was chosen to be Estonia’s act after winning Eesti Laul 2025 with his dance-pop hit. The star, 33, has been performing since 2012 and had already gained a loyal fan base before his Eurovision attempts.
One user commented on social media: “lol Estonia’s #Eurovision song sounds like a joke that went too far and when he wanted to stop it he was already in too deep lol, while another said: “Vocally could be better, but this is one of the funniest songs, artists and performances of the year and as a person needing coffee, I relate.”
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