Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, were martyred in an Israeli bombardment near the al-Zawari junction in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip
US State Department sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reiterate our warning to companies dealing with ports in occupied Palestine that their vessels and crews will be targeted anywhere.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reaffirm our commitment to preventing Israeli maritime activity in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Yemeni Armed Forces: This naval military operation was carried out in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and in solidarity with their heroic resistance fighters.
Yemeni Armed Forces: The vessel was targeted after it ignored calls and warnings issued by the Yemeni naval forces.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We targeted the vessel ETERNITY C as it was heading to the occupied port of Umm al-Rashrash using a drone boat and six cruise missiles.
Israeli drones conduct an airstrike on Saboura and Yafour in the Damascus countryside, Syria.
Al-Qassam Brigades: We targeted an Israeli army D9 bulldozer with a Shawaaz explosive device in a resistance operation in the Ma'an area, south of Khan Younis, on June 24
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Syrian army and police forces will only be permitted to carry light weapons in the buffer zones

Eurovision muted boos, ‘Free Palestine’ chants: The Intercept

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Intercept
  • 18 May 2025 09:54
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

A recent audio analysis has raised concerns over censorship and double standards amid Gaza war protests.

Listen
  • x
  • Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather for a protest against the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Golan ahead of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP)
    Pro-Palestine demonstrators gather for a protest against the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Golan ahead of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, Saturday, May 11, 2024 (AP)

A detailed audio analysis conducted by The Intercept has confirmed that booing and shouts of “Free Palestine” were muted from the live Eurovision broadcast during Israeli singer Eden Golan’s performance on May 9, 2024. Despite repeated denials from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the evidence shows that key audience reactions were deliberately scrubbed from the version aired to viewers across the globe.

During Golan’s semifinal performance, which came amid intense global criticism over “Israel’s” ongoing genocide in Gaza, many watching live in the arena booed loudly and chanted in protest. However, viewers of the official Eurovision broadcast heard only applause and cheering.

Israeli contestant Eden Golan was booed during her Eurovision performance. pic.twitter.com/4JbUC1Uy59

— Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) May 9, 2024

The Intercept’s analysis of isolated audience audio channels revealed “scattered boos well up on the audience feed,” while in the stereo broadcast mix, “there is no audience sound.” At one moment, an audience member loudly shouted “Free Palestine!”, a phrase absent from the televised version.

The EBU claims that no sound censorship occurred. “Just like in all major TV productions with an audience, SVT work on the broadcast sound to even out the levels for TV viewers,” the organization stated, adding, “SVT do not censor sound from the arena audience.” Nevertheless, The Intercept found that while clapping and cheers remained audible, boos and chants were systematically removed, raising new questions about Eurovision censorship.

Related News

Trial begins over Trump-era deportations of pro-Palestine students

Amnesty slams UK for abusing laws to silence pro-Palestine protests

'Israel' Eurovision controversy, public backlash

Golan later acknowledged the uncomfortable atmosphere during her performance. When shown rehearsal footage featuring heavy booing, she responded, “Well, that happened in every single performance. There were some days that were more extreme.” She added, “I remember not hearing myself, only hearing the boos and the screaming and the yelling.”

Her original song, October Rain, interpreted as a reference to the October 7 operation, was modified and renamed Hurricane to comply with Eurovision’s alleged neutrality rules. Still, calls to bar "Israel" from the competition persisted. Over 56,000 people signed a petition urging its exclusion, while 72 former Eurovision contestants and more than 1,000 Swedish artists demanded a boycott.

The EBU continues to describe Eurovision as a “non-political music event,” with Director General Noel Curran asserting, “It is not a contest between governments.” But critics point to Eurovision's double standards. In 2022, Russia was banned over its military operation in Ukraine. Yet in 2024, despite mounting global outrage over “Israel’s” assault on Gaza, it was allowed to compete.

The broadcast was produced by Sweden’s SVT, which mixed the final stereo audio used in the satellite feed distributed to participating countries. While some broadcasters have access to raw audio channels, including separate feeds for performers, crowd reactions, and commentary, most rely on the pre-packaged version.

Free Palestine chants erased from broadcast

The censorship concerns extended into the 2025 contest, where Israeli singer Yuval Raphael anticipated more protests. “She said she trained with disruptive crowd noise in the background.” While some official reports claimed the show went “relatively without a hitch,” social media footage again suggested booing, yet no trace of it was present in the official broadcast.

These findings have renewed concerns that Eurovision, despite its public stance on neutrality, may be shaping its audio narrative to suppress politically sensitive dissent, particularly during international condemnation and ongoing protests against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

  • pro-Palestine protest
  • Israel
  • Gaza genocide
  • censorship
  • Eurovision

Most Read

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' peace deal

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' normalization

  • MENA
  • 4 Jul 2025
Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam hits IOF groupings in Khan Younis; ‘tough incident’ reported

3 Israeli soldiers killed by Resistance gunfire in south, north Gaza

  • Palestine
  • 4 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation
Politics

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese at a press conference during a session of the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on March 27, 2024. (AFP)
Politics

Rubio sanctions UN’s Francesca Albanese over ICC push on 'Israel'

An Israeli captive is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hamas seeks full Israeli withdrawal, aid in Gaza truce talks

Tehran demands UN probe into Israeli use of mercenaries inside of Iran
Politics

Tehran demands UN probe into Israeli use of mercenaries inside of Iran

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS