While at Eurovision, Golan was surrounded by 24/7 security. Still, the very few times she was allowed to leave her room, she “had to dress up”. Sharing a photo of her disguise on Instagram, Golan left fans with a positive message: “I know there are better days ahead of us”.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement also shared Golan’s disguise. “It’s tragic and wrong that in 2024 a Jewish singer in Europe needs to hide like this,” they wrote on social media.
Golan’s appearance at Eurovision was surrounded by controversy, with protesters calling for Israel to be removed from the competition. The Israeli delegation said they faced “an unprecedented display of hatred” this year, “solely because of the simple fact that we’re Israelis and that we were there”.
Israel has competed in Eurovision every year since 1973. When Israel hosted the contest in 2019, it faced calls for an international boycott, especially from Irish and Icelandic fans.
