Protesters Shout “Stop The Genocide” As Israel’s Noam Bettan Performs “Michelle” In Vienna

Israel’s Eurovision semi-final entry, performed by Noam Bettan with the song Michelle, drew pro-Palestinian chants during the televised event in Vienna, with the audio including “stop the genocide” and “Free Palestine” as the performance began.

The protests were heard during the first Eurovision 2026 semifinal held on Tuesday, May 12 in Vienna, and the European Broadcasting Union removed the ambient audio from Israel’s official video when it uploaded the performance to YouTube.

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Amid the disruption, the EBU and Austria’s ORF confirmed that four people were expelled from the Wiener Stadthalle for shouting pro-Palestinian slogans during Israel’s performance.

Amnesty International’s Agnès Callamard said the EBU’s decision to keep Israel in Eurovision shows “blatant double standards,” framing the contest as a platform that must not distract from “Israel’s atrocities or Palestinian suffering.”

The EBU justified removing the protest audio by saying “the focus of Eurovision should be on the artists and the music,” and it added: “Therefore, we removed the audio heard in the broadcast before uploading the performance to our YouTube channel.”

In the same reporting, ORF said it would not censor boos in its broadcasts, with ORF programming director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz telling a press conference, “We made a decision and we will stand by it, because we believe it is the right thing,” while referencing ORF’s December announcement.

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Noam Bettan told the BBC that he was “aware” of the disruption, saying, “I heard there were whistles and everything, and there was a moment of, like, a 'wow' effect, you know? A bit of a shock.”

Bettan also said he hoped the five boycotting broadcasters could return for future competitions, adding, “It’s too bad for them,” and “So I’m hopeful that next year they can sing and spread their light.”

Five countries—Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Ireland and Iceland—are boycotting Eurovision 2026 in protest of Israel’s participation, and Al Jazeera says they cited Israel’s “genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza” as the main reason.

“Eurovision, the annual international music pageant watched and adored by millions of viewers around the world, begins this week despite boycotts over Israel’s participation”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera also reports that Eurovision’s televised final is scheduled to take place on May 16 in Austria’s capital, Vienna, marking Eurovision’s 70th anniversary, while Amnesty International says the final will be in Vienna on 16 May with two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May.

Amnesty International argues that “There should be no stage for Israel at Eurovision while there is an ongoing genocide,” and it says the EBU is ignoring protests by Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland that withdrew because of Israel’s participation.

POLITICO reports that Viennese police are ramping up security precautions “far beyond the usual level,” after five countries declared they would boycott the competition in protest over the war in Gaza, and it says Israel advanced from the semifinal and will take part in the final on May 16.