Rishi Sunak condemned “wrong and outrageous” pro-Palestine protests at the Eurovision Song Contest.
A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said he shared the “deep concern of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
But he said the push for a boycott of Israeli contestant Eden Golan, 20, was “unfair” after thousands of people took to the streets of Malmo last night as she performed in the semi-final.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister thinks that these protests are wrong and some of the scenes we’ve seen have been outrageous.
“Just as we share the deep concern of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and we raise this regularly, when it comes to this debate around Eurovision in these protests, we are incredibly mindful of the Israelis and also Jewish people around the world who love Eurovision and their feelings at seeing this in the aftermath of what was an atrocious terror attack, and while hostages are still being held by Hamas, and he would urge people to consider this when repeating these unfair calls for a boycott.
“He thinks it is wrong and unfair to call for a boycott of their act. We remain steadfast in our support for Israel and its right to self defence and its right to prevent a terror attack such as we saw from ever happening again.
“At the same time, we continue to urge further action on aid in response to a growing humanitarian crisis.
She added: “There is always the right for peaceful protest, that’s part of democracy here and around the world, but in terms of the Prime Minister’s opinion, these scenes and whether it is right to call for a boycott of their acts, no – he thinks that’s wrong.”
Golan, whose song Hurricane was reworked from a previous track called October Rain, which was thought to reference the Hamas attacks on Israel, triumphed in the semi-final in Malmo Arena on Thursday.
She was congratulated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he was “proud” of the young star.
But an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the streets of Malmo in protest at her inclusion in the competition amid the Gaza conflict.
Further demonstrations are planned for Saturday when Golan, who has been surrounded by security as she travels from the hotel to the contest venue, competes in the final.
The UK’s Alexander Olly released a joint statement in March along with other Eurovision artists backing “an immediate and lasting ceasefire” in Gaza but refusing to boycott the event.
During the semi-final, Golan was applauded and cheered by the audience after being booed during rehearsals on Wednesday and reportedly facing shouts of “free Palestine” in the arena.
Organisers said they would not “censor” the audience and encouraged the crowd to “attend in the spirit of the contest, embracing its values of inclusivity, celebrating diversity and being united by music”.
