The most controversial edition of Eurovision has come to an end and Switzerland has been crowned the 2024 winner. Here’s what you need to know.
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00:00Switzerland has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
00:08Nemo took the coveted glass microphone with the song The Code, an ode to the singer's
00:13journey towards embracing a non-binary identity.
00:16I want to say thank you so much, I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue
00:27to stand for peace and dignity for every person in the world.
00:35This year's event was arguably one of the most controversial in the programme's 68-year
00:40history.
00:41Joost Klein, representing the Netherlands, was disqualified on Saturday, accused of making
00:48unlawful threats to a member of the production crew.
00:53Organisers excluded him, citing their zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour.
01:00But the decision was not well-received by both fans and the Dutch national broadcaster.
01:05I always had escapism, I was always strapped in.
01:09We find this decision to be out of proportion and we have come up with other solutions to
01:15solve this problem.
01:17We are very disappointed that Joost can't perform there tonight and that millions of
01:24fans in the Netherlands and Europe are disappointed.
01:28There was also opposition to Israel's participation because of the ongoing war in Gaza.
01:34The country's entrant Eden Golan was met with boos and cheers when she performed.
01:39She said it was an honour to represent Israel.
01:43The contest was also marked by mass protests in support of Palestine, with as many as 10,000
01:50said to have taken part, with some demanding Israel be excluded from the show.
01:58It's important to reclaim my humanity and for all of us who are being here to say no
02:05for slaughtering human beings as easily as Netanyahu.
02:11It was all smiles and some tears on stage as Nemo picked up the trophy, Switzerland's
02:17third win overall and first since 1988.