Eurovision plunged into favouritism row after bosses use FAKE applause to cover up audience booing contest
2
Eurovision bosses used fake applause to cover up boos for Israel
Credit: AFP
2
A pro-Palestinian activist raises a flag while Israeli singer Yuval Raphael rehearses
Credit: AFP
It followed a backlash over the country's inclusion in the contest owing to the conflict in
The European Broadcasting Union agreed to have discussions about its participation next year.
One fan wrote on X: 'I have a huge issue with the EBU silencing the booing during Israel's performance and adding fake cheers to make it sound like there's a positive reception from the audience.
'EBU is a public service broadcaster whose purpose is to serve the public, not to silence them.'
READ MORE ON EUROVISION
Another fan argued: 'Why do you mute the audience's boos and replace them with fake applause effects? Where are your ethical values?'
It came amid strengthened security measures at the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland.
Flags from countries not competing and whistles have been banned.
Protesters with Palestinian flags and whistles interrupted the song by Yuval, 24, at a rehearsal on Thursday.
Most read in News TV
Before last night's final, a warm-up act urged the audience: 'Cheer for everybody. The Eurovision tribe is one of loving human beings. We do not hate. We just love.'
Host Hazel Brugger added: 'Please give every single performer everything you've got.'
Yesterday afternoon, EBU director Martin Green said it had been preparing for the past year and, when it came to potential disruption, was 'ready for all possibilities'.
Inside Israel's huge Eurovision security operation as Hamas survivor qualifies for Basel final after pro-Palestine demo - JM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Irish activists help plan new flotilla to get aid into Gaza
Irish activists are playing a big role in organising a new international flotilla to try to get vital humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel is continuing to block the access of aid trucks into Gaza while it starves and kills Palestinian civilians. The numbers of civilians killed by Israel, either by starvation or violence, continues to rise every day and this new flotilla will attempt to break the blockade in the coming weeks. People gather around the Freedom Flotilla ship 'Handala' ahead of the boat's departure for Gaza back in July. Pic: Giovanni Isolino/AFP via Getty Images The flotilla will depart from Spain on August 31, before stopping at Tunisia and other countries on September 4 as it sails towards Gaza. People from over 44 countries are planning to participate in the movement. The new Global Sumud Flotilla, organised by the Global Movement to Gaza (GMTG) campaign, aims to break Israel's blockade and raise attention to the starvation happening in Gaza. A protester holds up a poster reading 'Defend The Freedom Flotilla' during a protest in London earlier this year. Pic: Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images However, it is likely that Israel will intercept the flotilla before it can deliver the necessary aid, just as they did for Greta Thunberg's 'Freedom Flotilla' earlier this summer. Greta will once again be a part of this flotilla. Greta Thunberg will once again be a part of this flotilla. Pic:Karen Moynihan, GMTG Irish coordinator, stated: 'The people of Ireland are steadfast in our support for the liberation of Palestine. 'The Global Sumud Flotilla sails with more boats than ever seen before to break the siege on Gaza. 'We are calling everyone across Ireland to join the movement and support the flotilla. Citizens of the world are united, and we will not stop until Palestine is free. No one is free until Palestine is free.' Greta Thunberg and her fellow activists were detained and deported by Israel when they attempted to provide aid to Palestinians in June. The humanitarian ship Handala, operated by the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian organisation, as it set sail for Gaza earlier this year. Pic: Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images The 'Freedom Flotilla', on the boat the Madleen, departed from Sicily but got intercepted in international waters. Israel proceeded to mock the activists, who were trying to save lives, on its social media accounts afterwards. This new flotilla comes as a joint statement from 24 countries and the EU denounce the 'famine unfolding before our eyes' in Gaza. They continued: 'We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO (non-governmental organisations) aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating. 'All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment.' The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and two other members of the European Commission also signed the statement. Some EU member countries, including Germany and Hungary, did not sign it. Recently, Israel killed the Al Jazeera news team, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif, in a deliberate strike on their media tent. The attack was condemned by the United Nations, the EU and media rights groups. Anas was one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces working in Gaza, providing daily reports on the slaughter. The UN human rights agency called their deaths a 'grave breach of international humanitarian law'.
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Watch the moment Brooklyn Beckham ‘proposes' to Nicola Peltz before vow renewal as fans demand he drops the family name
BROOKLYN Bekcham was seen in a video proposing to Nicola Peltz before their vow renewal, and fans have demanded he drops the family name. None of the Beckhams were invited to the lavish ceremony on August 2 — presided over by Nicola's billionaire dad Nelson — and only read about it on an American website. 5 Brooklyn Bekcham was seen in a video proposing to Nicola Peltz before their vow renewal Credit: @nicolapeltzbeckham/TikTok 5 Fans have demanded he drops the family name Credit: @nicolapeltzbeckham/TikTok 5 The Beckhams weren't invited to the lavish ceremony Credit: AFP Brooklyn's original wedding with Nicola took place on Nelson's estate in Palm Beach, Florida, with Brooklyn's sister Harper among the bridesmaids, and he proposed to Nicola in 2020 by a lake. But ahead of their vow renewal, which has been branded a 'gratuitous display of wealth,' Brooklyn proposed to his wife for a second time. Nicola shared a romantic clip of Brooklyn getting down on one knee in a white t-shirt and jeans in a summer house by a lake. She captioned the video: 'We showed our friends how he proposed,' and Nicola could be seen in a baggy t-shirt looking delighted at her husband's romantic gesture. But fans were left outraged by the post, as they demand they drop the Beckham surname. One person wrote: 'I don't understand why you have the Beckham name when you hate them so much.' A second penned: 'Drop the Beckham name if you're going to ignore them and snub them from everything.' Someone else questioned: 'Why have you kept the Beckham surname?' A source close to the Beckhams says the family has questioned Brooklyn's need to renew his vows after just three years. Brooklyn Beckham & Nicola Peltz 'renew wedding vows' after 3 years of marriage One friend said: 'They would understand if it was, say, 10 years down the line - maybe even five. But three?! It seems like quite a gratuitous display of obscene wealth. "Also, if Brooklyn wanted to create a really cute memory, why couldn't he have just let his family know their plans first? 'To be honest, although there have been moments of rapprochement, this hostility dates back to 2021, around six months before the original wedding. "The dynamics have just never really gelled. 'Of course David and Victoria want Brooklyn to be happy and clearly he is wildly in love still, but a lot of people have been hurt. "It is a very sad situation and everyone fears there is no way back now. It is done.' It was also revealed that even Brooklyn's grandparents were excluded from the special day - despite their close relationship. This week, a source said: 'This was the final kick in the teeth for David and Victoria. 'Seeing Nelson having such a pivotal role at the ceremony was heartbreaking for David especially. "Not one member of the 30-plus extended family knew about the wedding, or were invited. 'His grandparents are devastated too as Brooklyn has always been so close to them. 'It feels cruel and spiteful. This is no longer a game. It has gone beyond all that. 'This is a family who feel they have lost their precious boy - and see no way back. "Honestly, they are now questioning why he even wants to keep the 'Beckham' surname - will he revert to Peltz? August 2nd 2025 - is this the day Brooklyn formally declared himself no longer a part of the Beckham family? 'It certainly feels like it.' 5 The vow renewal has been branded a 'gratuitous display of wealth'
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israel military says 'approved' plan for new Gaza offensive
The Israeli military has said chief of staff Eyal Zamir has approved the "framework" for a new offensive in Gaza. Israel has said it will launch a the offensive and seize control of Gaza City, which it captured shortly after the war's outbreak in October 2023 before pulling out. Israeli planes and tanks kept up their bombardment of eastern areas of Gaza City overnight. Meanwhile, Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo yesterday for talks to revive a US-backed ceasefire plan. The latest round of indirect talks in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July with Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a US proposal for a 60-day truce and hostage release deal. Hamas' meetings with Egyptian officials, scheduled to begin today, will focus on ways to stop the war, deliver aid, and "end the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. Foreign ministers of 24 countries said yesterday that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached "unimaginable levels" and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the territory. Israel denies responsibility for hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including pausing fighting for parts of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. A Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediated ceasefire talks said Hamas was prepared to return to the negotiating table, and the leaders who were visiting Cairo yesterday would reaffirm that stance. Latest Middle East stories "Hamas believes negotiation is the only way to end the war and is open to discuss any ideas that would secure an end to the war," the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said. However, the gaps between the sides appear to remain wide on key issues, including the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and demands for Hamas to disarm. A Hamas official said the Islamist movement was ready to relinquish Gaza governance on behalf of a non-partisan committee, but it would not relinquish its arms before a Palestinian state is established. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose far-right ultranationalist coalition allies want an outright Israeli takeover of all of Gaza, has vowed the war will not end until Hamas is eradicated. The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
