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00:00For many, Eurovision is a time to celebrate, a quirky competition bringing together European
00:05nations with some friends from outside of the continent too.
00:09But for the second year in a row, this edition is marred by the effects of war.
00:14Police in Malmo say they are prepared for the week-long contest, but expect critics
00:18of Israel's Gaza offensive to protest at the event.
00:22We're expecting some demonstrations, of course, and voicing of opinions, and the right to
00:27demonstrate is highly protected in the Swedish constitution, so it's been a part of our
00:32planning work since the beginning.
00:34So we feel prepared to handle any demonstrations that are going on in Malmo.
00:40Thousands are expected to demonstrate, and some prominent Swedish artists have withdrawn
00:45from taking part in the event.
00:47Some arguing that Israel's contestant Eden Golan shouldn't be allowed to participate.
00:52As a precaution for the demonstrations, prisoners have been transported to different detention
00:56centres to clear jail cells for the case of a surge in arrests.
01:00And neighbouring Denmark and Norway have pledged police reinforcements.
01:04Sweden's third largest city, Malmo has a large Muslim community, mainly from Iraq and Syria,
01:09and the country's biggest Palestinian population.