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Viewers are accusing Eurovision organisers and broadcasters of “censoring” the sound of the audience booing during Israel’s performance at the semi-finals of the competition.

On Thursday night, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took to the stage with her song ‘New Day Will Rise’ during the second semi-final of the annual music competition, broadcast in the UK on BBC One. However, several viewers claimed the broadcast audio was suspiciously clean — lacking any of the boos and jeers that, according to multiple eyewitnesses and social media footage, filled the St Jakobshalle arena during her performance.

“What is really happening during Israel’s performance!” one viewer posted on X.

When a pro-Israel user argued that the shared video was from a dress rehearsal and not Raphael’s semi-final performance, another user wrote, “Buddy thought the ‘live TV’ transmission didn’t block internal audio channels in the room. They substitute the mics around the room to isolate the singer’s (and chorus’) audio for a cleaner sound, and especially here to mask the boos from the crowd and show fake support.”

Others echoed the sentiment, with one user writing: “Of course, they filter out the booing, so typical,” and another alleging: “The boos at Eurovision were so loud for that performance that they weren’t able to filter them all.”

Clips recorded inside the venue and shared online appear to support these claims, revealing audible discontent during the live performance and rehearsals. In contrast, the BBC’s live broadcast — which uses the international feed provided by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster SRG SSR — featured only faint or non-existent booing.

In a statement to The Independent, SRG SSR defended its audio editing process: “For the Eurovision Song Contest, the host broadcaster is working with the ‘audio sweetening’ method, which is common practice for major international productions. This process helps to harmonise the sound… and create a consistent soundscape for the TV audience.” They stressed this was “used equally and identically for all acts.”

The EBU denied any booing took place during Raphael’s performance, claiming: “We heard no booing… and we have had no reports of booing either. The atmosphere stayed positive and celebratory throughout.”

But many remain unconvinced, especially as calls to bar Israel from participating in Eurovision grew in the lead-up to the event. Over 70 former contestants signed an open letter demanding the removal of Israel and its national broadcaster KAN, citing the country’s ongoing military assault on Gaza.

The backlash stems from growing international outrage over Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023. Since then, over 52,800 Palestinians — many of them women and children — have been killed, prompting several human rights organisations to label the military campaign a genocide.

Earlier on the day of the semi-final, Raphael’s rehearsal performance was briefly disrupted by protestors. SRG SSR confirmed that six individuals, including a family, were escorted out of the venue after interrupting the show with oversized flags and whistles.