This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The organisers of the Eurovision song contest are investigating how a stage invader managed to storm the stage during the UK’s performance and snatch a microphone from singer SuRie.



The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said an inquiry was already under way into the seven-second incident, which left the 29-year-old contestant clapping helplessly mid-song.

SuRie chose not to perform again after the intruder brought her rendition of Storm to a halt and shouted about “Nazis of the UK media”, adding: “We demand freedom.”

The man is being questioned by police in Lisbon, Portugal, where this year’s contest was held on Saturday night.

Shedding fresh light on the security breach, a spokesman for the EBU said on Sunday that the man gained access to the stage by climbing into the camera run. He then reached the main stage via the bridge, pursued by security, the spokesman continued. “He was removed off stage after seven seconds and is being questioned by police. We take security very seriously and an investigation into what happened is already under way.”

Unfortunately for the UK entrant, the drama did not elicit enough support from the European public to make a mark on the contest. The singer came 24th out of 26 entries during the annual contest, which was won by Israel’s Netta Barzilai and her song Toy.

After the event, she tweeted: “Well, I’ve always said anything can happen at Eurovision … I’m so proud of my performance tonight. I gave it my very best.

“It’s been an incredible experience for me. I am so grateful for everyone’s love and support. The fans make Eurovision what it is; the biggest and the most inclusive and open celebration of music in the world.

“Eurovision is a family, and I am proud to be part of it.”

The BBC said an average of 6.9 million viewers watched the show on BBC One in the UK, although numbers peaked at 8.1 million.

Viewers watched as the stage invader, dressed in a black and red bandana and slogan T-shirt promoting a book available on Amazon, accosted SuRie halfway through her performance. He was taken into police custody shortly after being rushed from the stage by security guards.

A man dressed in the same bandana and T-shirt stormed the stage of the National Television Awards in January, where he was ordered off by the host, Dermot O’Leary. The Northern Irish talkshow host Stephen Nolan also claimed the same stage invader crashed his programme last year.

After several seconds of confusion, SuRie resumed her song and finished to rapturous applause.

Graham Norton, who was commentating the BBC’s coverage, said during the broadcast: “She was doing a brilliant job anyway.”

He later added: “We don’t know why he stormed the stage but it doesn’t matter, you don’t hijack someone’s hard-earned moment in the spotlight, no matter what your cause.”