Swedish police are convinced that “anything can happen” during Eurovision; the second highest threat level has been declared in the country

Fans of the Eurovision Song Contest should not worry about security in Malmö, even though public tensions are high over the war in the Gaza Strip, the Swedish Police has said.

Malmo Arena will host the Eurovision Song Contest this week, but the threat level in Sweden remains the second highest.

Swedish police spokesman Jimmy Mudin said the threat rating is primarily intended for security services and is currently fourth across the country on a five-level scale.

“Of course, we take this into account when planning security measures during the Eurovision Song Contest, but it is important to emphasize that there is no direct threat to Eurovision,” a police spokesman said.

He assured that a march in support of the Palestinians will take place in Malmö on Thursday, when Edena Golan, the representative of Israel, will also participate in the second semi-final with the song “Hurricane”.

It is expected that there will be a large number of participants in the march and that traffic will be disrupted.

Mūdins refused to confirm the information that there were requests to burn Muslim holy scriptures – the Koran – in the streets of Malmö during the Eurovision Song Contest.

He did not specify the size of the police force involved in guaranteeing security in the city, while adding that the Swedish police will also be assisted by colleagues from Denmark and Norway.

A police spokesman said that despite the fact that “anything can happen”, people “shouldn’t worry” when traveling to Malmö, but should remember safety rules and be prepared for checks.

Earlier there were calls to exclude Israel from the Eurovision contest due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, but the organizers of the contest rejected these calls.

On Saturday, Eurovision-related events began in Malmö with many concerts and parties, the culmination of which will be the final of the contest on May 11. More than 100,000 guests are expected to come to Malmö for these events.

In the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Latvia’s song “Hollow” performed by Don will also be performed alongside Israel. Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Georgia, Estonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland will also participate in it. The first semi-final of Eurovision will take place on May 7, while the final will take place on May 11.