This year's edition of the contest, taking place in Malmö, Sweden, with representatives from 37 countries and whose final will be held on Saturday, is being marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today, the German Minister of Culture, Claudia Roth, described the protests and calls for a boycott of Israel's participation in the contest's final -- for which representatives from 26 countries were selected -- as "unacceptable" in a publication shared on social media. The minister considered the announced reinforcement of security measures in Sweden to protect Israeli citizens and Jews in general "terrifying." "Anti-Semitism, hatred and violence have no place in such an important musical event," the publication also reads. The French Minister for European Affairs, Jean-Nöel Barrot, also considers the "pressure on artists" in the calls for a boycott of Israel in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest "unacceptable." "At a time when creative freedom is threatened all over the world, Europe must continue to defend, loud and clear, this essential principle of democracy," he argued in an interview with the newspaper Liberation, published today and quoted by Agence France Presse. Recalling that "politics has no place in Eurovision," the minister said that, "in the particular case of Eurovision, the pressures are contrary to the spirit of the contest, whose motto is 'United by music', and which aims to bring together the peoples of Europe, and not only, around artistic creation." Something that "must remain at the heart of the competition." Jean-Nöel Barrot argued that the Eurovision Song Contest "plays an important role in the permanent strengthening of the feeling of belonging to a common culture", considering that it "allows Europeans to come closer together through music, overcoming language barriers (...) and [makes them] discover the best of European culture." "It is a precious asset that must be preserved," he said. The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is being marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for decades, but intensified after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israel on October 7, which caused almost 1,200 deaths, with the country led by Benjamin Netanyahu responding with an offensive that caused more than 34,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from both sides. Since it became known that Israel would participate in the contest, represented by Eden Golan, several appeals have been made by European political representatives and artists to the EBU to veto the country's participation in the contest. Among the various appeals, at the end of March, representatives from nine countries, including Portugal, signed a letter in which they called for an "immediate and lasting ceasefire" in the war in Palestine and the return of all Israeli hostages. At the time, the EBU recalled that the festival is an "apolitical" event. However, in 2022 it was decided to expel Russia from the contest following the invasion of Ukraine. On the day of the second semi-final, in which Israel was competing, thousands of people marched through the streets of Malmö calling for the country's expulsion from the contest, in a protest called by the Stop Israel, for peace and a free Palestine platform, which brings together more than 60 organizations. The Belgian television broadcaster VRT, one of the two that organize the country's participation in the contest, temporarily interrupted the broadcast on Thursday, during Eden Golan's performance, condemning "the violations of the state of Israel in Gaza." "Israel is destroying freedom of the press. That's why we are temporarily interrupting the broadcast," read a statement that was displayed during the semi-final and quoted by the EuropaPress agency. When the Israeli representative was on stage during the second semi-final of the contest, whistles were heard, especially in the initial part of the performance. On Wednesday, during the rehearsals, which, like the semi-finals and final, are open to the public, Eden Golan had been booed by some of those present. At the press conference of the qualified countries of the second semi-final of the contest, Eden Golan and the representative of the Netherlands, Joost Klein, protagonized a tense situation. On that occasion, a Polish journalist questioned the Israeli artist about her responsibility for the highest level of terrorist alert in Malmö. "By being here, it is a security risk and a danger to everyone. Don't you care about that?" he asked. The moderator of the press conference reminded Eden Golan that she was not obliged to answer the question. "Why not?" asked the Dutch artist aloud. The episode went viral on social media. Despite not being obliged to answer, the Israeli singer said she believed that everyone was at the Eurovision Song Contest for a reason, "and that the EBU had taken all precautions to make it safe for everyone." In addition to having signed a joint letter with other artists, the Portuguese representative, Iolanda, appeared on Sunday on the 'turquoise carpet' (where representatives from all countries parade, thus marking the beginning of the live shows of the contest), in Malmö, wearing a dress by a Palestinian brand and her nails painted with the pattern of the 'keffiyeh', a scarf that is a symbol of Palestinian resistance. On Tuesday, the conflict was brought to the stage during the opening act of the first semi-final by singer Eric Saade, who represented Sweden in the contest in 2011 with "Popular". Eric Saade, of Palestinian descent, sang with his left hand wrapped in a 'keffiyeh'. Israel was the first non-European country to participate in the music contest, in 1973, and has won four times, including with transgender singer Dana International in 1998. Also Read: Netherlands suspended from Eurovision rehearsals after "incident" (Portuguese version)