Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest Israel’s Eurovision inclusion [Video]

Not everyone in Malmö was welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest to town.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in the Swedish port city on Thursday against Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop competition.

Protesters waving green, white, black and red Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmö’s 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several kilometres from the Eurovision venue.

Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part. Among those in the crowd was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Israel is a terror state,” the demonstrators set off smoke flares in the Palestinian colours during a noisy, peaceful rally to criticize Israel and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. There was a large police presence, with a hovering helicopter, and officers on rooftops with binoculars.

“It’s …