Sawt Falasteen - Eurovision finalists tune up as boycotting Spain digs in

This year in Vienna marks the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which despite the razzmatazz rarely escapes the politics in the background.

Eurovision is the world's biggest live televised music spectacle, typically reaching more than 150 million viewers, and Saturday's final at the Wiener Stadthalle is set to be no exception.

But Israel's presence has drawn a political boycott from five countries, including Spain, which is traditionally one of the top financial contributors to the glitzy extravaganza.

"We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Friday in a video message on X.

"In the face of illegal war and also genocide, silence is not an option. And we cannot remain indifferent to what continues to happen in Gaza and in Lebanon."

In a central Vienna square, hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a pro-Palestinian event dubbed a "song protest" featuring a concert and speeches.

"Culture is a very important factor in protesting against injustice in the world," said Marco Van Jura, 38, one of the organisers, adding that the event aimed to "take a stand".

Eurovision director Martin Green said the door remained open for Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia to return.

"Regarding our five family members, we've made it very clear to them we can't wait for them to come back," he said Thursday.

"Obviously, the ball's in their court because it's their decision. And I'm sure those conversations will continue."

- Audience mikes kept open -

Finland are the overall favourites to win Saturday's final, with its violin and vocal duet "Liekinheitin", or "Flamethrower".

They came through Tuesday's first semi-final, along with Greece and Israel.

Four people were thrown out of Austria's biggest arena after attempts to disrupt Israel's performance, with the chanting of slogans heard on the live broadcast.

Asked whether they would mute the audience microphones in Saturday's final in case of further protests or disruption, host broadcaster ORF's programme director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said: "We made the decision and we're going to stick to this decision. And we are sure that love will win."

- Australian star rising -

Australia's Delta Goodrem came through Thursday's second semi-final with her song "Eclipse", with bookmakers considering the 41-year-old established star as Finland's closest contender for the crown.

Australia has appeared at Eurovision by invitation since 2015, and Goodrem's performance went down well with the more than 10,000 fans in the arena.

She stood on top of a golden glittering piano, then soared into the air on a riser as sparks fell from the ceiling.

Romania and Denmark were among the others to qualify from Thursday's show.

Romania's heavy metal song "Choke Me" caused a minor furore in the Eurovision build-up over the lyrics.

Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund sang "For Vi Gar Hjem" ("Before We Go Home"), plunging the crowd into the world of nightclubs.

The 27-year-old musical theatre singer will open Saturday's final.

Bulgarian pop singer Dara got the party started with some highly choreographed dancing on "Bangaranga".

"We have nothing like this in America, and I think Eurovision is phenomenal because it brings everybody together," Tory Huflar, a US fan, told AFP after Thursday's concert.

Australian fan Grace Casper said it was "an amazing thing to see... it's a very different experience to see it in person".

The final is decided by a mixture of public televoting and professional juries in participating countries, and a televote from viewers in the rest of the world.

Eurovision 2026 executive producer Michael Kroen told reporters after Friday's dress rehearsal: "We have a lot of different acts and features that really tell a story about 70 years of singing, laughing, happy people -- and that's what we're all about."

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST