Rylan Clark: People have right to protest but Eurovision is about the music

Eurovision host Rylan Clark has said people have “the right” to take part in protests over Israel’s participation in the competition but the song contest is “just about the music.”

The TV presenter addressed the ongoing controversy over Eden Golan’s inclusion in the contest amid calls for the country to be excluded over the ongoing war in Gaza.

Clark, who is hosting the BBC’s coverage of the competition alongside Graham Norton and Scott Mills, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Malmo is doing an amazing job of hosting Eurovision.

“The climate in the world at the minute isn’t great and you know we’re not silly to not understand that there’s a lot going on in the world, but I think in the Eurovision bubble it’s a song contest, it’s all about the music and that’s what we’re here for.

“The city has done an amazing job, there’s a lot of demonstrations happening and people have got the right to do that and but it’s just about the music.”

Mills added: “It does feel a little different but it’s about the music and the joy that we have every single year at Eurovision.”

Golan, 20, will take part in the semi-final in Malmo, Sweden on Thursday with her emotional track Hurricane, which was reworked from a previous track called October Rain, which was thought to reference the Hamas attacks on Israel.

Thousands of people are expected at a pro-Palestinian march on Thursday, which the Swedish Police Authority said would cause “disturbance to traffic”.

There have been continued demonstrations in Sweden over Israel’s participation, and the week of Eurovision has already seen small gatherings in Malmo and at the Eurovision village when Austrian 2014 winner Conchita Wurst was on stage.