Israel Qualifies For Eurovision Grand Final In Vienna As Protests Lead To Security Removals

Israel qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 grand final despite protests during the first semi-final in Vienna, with Austrian broadcaster ORF hosting the show and confirming it would not censor negative reactions from the crowd to any participants.

“From our special correspondent in Vienna, Austria, Fifteen countries but ten tickets for Saturday's final”

20 Minutes

The BBC reported that ORF and Eurovision organisers the EBU said one audience member was “close to a microphone” and was “later removed by security for continuing to disturb the audience,” while “three other people were also removed from the arena by security for disruptive behaviour.”

20 Minutes

The NME said the song contest’s 70th edition will be held in Vienna on Saturday (May 16) and that Israel’s presence has been controversial due to the nation’s military action in Gaza.

During the semi-finals, NME reported that Noam Bettan received a mixed response, with some cheering the singer on while others booed and shouted anti-Israel slogans, including a person heard for around a minute saying “Stop the genocide.”

Boy George failed to make it through to the Eurovision final with San Marino, as the Culture Club star joined San Marino’s 2026 entry SENHIT onstage in Vienna during the first semi-final where they performed her song “Superstar” together.

Posting to X, Boy George wrote: “If you voted for us, thank you so much, I was sad we didn't get through to the final but my[Eurovision] experience has been fabulous,” and he added “I wouldn't take a minute of it back.”

24matins

The BBC said Israel’s Noam Bettan sailed through to the final with the lovestruck pop song “Michelle,” performed by 28-year-old Noam Bettan, after facing a mixed reception at Tuesday’s semi-final.

The Independent reported that Israel was voted through despite the interruption, while San Marino failed to survive Tuesday’s vote, leaving Boy George out of Saturday’s grand final on May 16 in Vienna.

The first semi-final at the Wiener Stadthalle took place as five countries boycotted the 2026 contest in protest over Israel’s inclusion, with the NBC News report saying Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands had pulled out and driving the number of participants to its lowest level since 2003.

NBC News said security was high in Vienna and that police expected both authorized pro-Palestinian protests and unauthorized attempts to try to disrupt the event, while the Hartford Courant/AP report said several pro-Palestinian demonstrations are planned in Vienna during Eurovision week.

The Hartford Courant/AP quoted Congolese-Austrian activist Patrick Bongola saying, “I think it is a moral obligation for each and every artist to take action and step away from the competition,” and it also recorded that Israel strongly denies committing genocide in Gaza.

With the grand final set for Saturday (May 16) in Vienna, the BBC said 10 countries qualified for the final on Tuesday, and it listed the eliminated countries as Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal and San Marino, while a further 15 countries will take part in the second semi-final on Thursday.