Israeli Eurovision Song Contest competitor Yuval Raphael faced a failed stage invasion during his performance in the Grand Final on Saturday night.
Swiss broadcasting station SSR, which hosts television broadcasts for the Eurovision Competition, is Hollywood Reporter A man and a woman attempted to overcome a barrier around the stage at St. Jacob Charles Arena in Basel, Switzerland, when the crew was attacked by paint.
“At the end of the Israeli performance, the men and women tried to overcome the barrier to the stage. They were stopped. They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and the crew was hit.
In the second year running, the Eurovision Contest was overshadowed by protests against the European Broadcasting Union's decision to allow Israeli participants to participate despite this year's call for Rafael's exclusion and pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests to take place outside the arena.
On October 7th, 2023, Raphael, a survivor of the Nova Festival's massacre, performed a solo performance up and down on stage, up and down the giant chandelier-like stairs. Showing BBC coverage in the UK, Graham Norton lit up social media sites after claiming at the end of Rafael's performance.
As Raphael concluded her performance with applause from arena viewers, there was no confusion around the failed stage invasion in the live feed of the 2025 Eurovision Grand Final.
Prior to Thursday's second semi-final, Rafael's early dress rehearsals were also confused as six people showed up with flags and whistles. “The security guards were able to quickly identify those involved and escort them out of the hall,” the host broadcaster SRG said in a previous statement.
