Three Youth Demand supporters exposed the sham that is Eurovision’s values of supposed “universality”, “inclusivity”, and “celebrating diversity through music”. The song contest platformed contestant Yuval Raphael from Israel – all as the settler colonial state has launched its latest genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza. Unsurprisingly, Swiss law enforcement leapt to Raphael’s aid – swiftly detaining the three activists. Needless to say, the contest’s values clearly doesn’t include colonised and illegally occupied peoples outside its white Western Eurocentric ‘vision’.
Youth Demand at Eurovision: Israel performs as it rains bombs down on Gaza
At approximately 9:30pm CEST/8:30pm BST, security forcibly removed three Youth Demand supporters from the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, during Yuval Raphael’s performance of ‘New Day Will Rise’:
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The three were then placed behind a screen outside the venue by security. They remained in detention held by armed police:
One of those arrested was David Curry, 22, from Manchester, who said:
After dropping the equivalent of six Hiroshima’s’ worth of bombs on Gaza, Israel has been blockading all food, water and key medical aid from entering Gaza for over three months now. Israel is being armed and aided by UK and European governments, whilst they murder a child every 45 minutes. To top it off, here we are having a party with them on the biggest stage of them all! Help us resist by signing up at YouthDemand.org.
Since December 2023, the British army has flown over 500 spy flights over Gaza, raising fears of complicity in Israeli war crimes. It continued these flights during and after the ceasefire, despite Israel’s bombing campaign killing over 17,400 children. Youth Demand highlighted that the genocidal state has killed many more than the 6,500 in the St Jakobshalle arena. The UK government has refused to deny the Israeli F-35 fighter jets bombing Gaza have access to the Akrotiri RAF bases in Cyprus.
The House of the People: a democratic way forward
The House of the People highlighted by the action takers is a citizens’ assembly being held in July 2025. Any person in the UK is invited to sign up, with it selecting the 100 participants by a Democratic Lottery. Experts will offer them their advice throughout the process, which will culminate in five concrete proposals for the UK government. Part of the campaign’s demand is for the UK to abolish the House of Lords in favour of a House of the People.
Swiss police also arrested 27-year-old Meaghan Leon from London. She said:
I cannot not sit back and watch Europe throw a party with the genocidal state of Israel in attendance, especially after Russia was rightfully kicked out for their aggression towards the Ukrainian people. Do Palestinians not deserve the same consideration?
We need to end all arms sales to Israel. Across the continent and in the UK, all polls show this is what the people want, yet our leaders ignore us. We need to upgrade our democracies and we need a House of the People.
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