Rylan Clark has been praised by fans for seemingly taking a stand amid the Eurovision Song Contest controversy. Countless fans are boycotting the music competition due to Israel being allowed in after its genocide in Gaza, despite Russia being barred last year for its invasion of Ukraine.
In Malmö, Sweden, thousands of protesters rallied to remove Israeli singer Eden Golan from the semi-finals. When Rylan appeared to skip a quick interview with Eden for the show’s TikTok account, many speculated he was making a political statement. His motivations have not been confirmed.
Rylan had been conducting several interviews with contestants while posing as a bell boy in the hotel lift – but reportedly, Eden did not get this chance. In the video of Eden’s interview, an off-camera voice is heard asking her questions as she steps into the lift alone, reports The Mirror.
READ MORE: London Eurovision parties cancelled this weekend due to Israel-Gaza boycott including city’s biggest event
The reason for Rylan’s absence during this segment remains unclear – but fans have their theories, suggesting he was making a political statement.
One fan took to X, previously known as Twitter, said: “Not @Rylan refusing to do Eden Golan’s elevator interview. We stan this.” Another supporter tweeted: “Well done @Rylan for doing the right thing!”
Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union has clarified the situation, stating: “There are several videos in that content series that do not include Rylan “.
Rylan shared his thoughts with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, praising the host city: “Malmö is doing an amazing job of hosting.”
He also commented on the political tensions present, saying: “It’s a song contest, it’s all about the music and that’s what we’re here for.”
Scott Mills, his co-host, chimed in with: “It does feel a little different, but it’s about the music and the joy that we have every single year at Eurovision.”
Tensions escalated to the point where Eden was advised to remain in her hotel room as protesters took to the streets. Notably, Greta Thunberg, aged 21, the renowned Swedish environmental activist, joined the large Stop Israel demonstration before Thursday’s (May 9) second semi-final of the show.
Reports suggest that Israel’s national security agency Shin Bet had advised Eden to stay put in her accommodation, only venturing out for her performances, as a large number of protesters were expected in the Swedish city. The controversy began when Eden’s song ‘October Rain’ appeared to reference Hamas’ kidnapping and killing of Israelis on October 7.
However, by March, the track was switched to ‘Hurricane’, which received the green light from the European Broadcasting Union.
The war seen more than 34,800 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, according to Gaza health officials, and has driven some 80 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes.
The United Nations has said that people in Gaza are on the brink of famine. This comes as Israeli troops ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, which residents were previously told was safe to evacuate to.
Earlier today, a crowd of 5,000 people marched through the streets. Greta, addressing the media, said to one outlet: “Young people are leading the way and showing the world how we should react to this.”
She declined to elaborate on her reasons for participating in the demonstration.
Rylan, the BBC, and Eden Golan have been contacted for comment.
