The singer, who triumphed with operatic track The Code, claimed the victory for Switzerland in what proved to be a hugely-controversial contest.
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After receiving the hefty glass trophy, Nemo took to the stage in delight, slamming the momento on the hard stage floor.
In the BBC‘s commentary aired across the UK, host Graham Norton, 61, could be heard saying: “Don’t break the trophy!
“He’s got the trophy – there they are!
“The winner of the 68th Eurovision song contest representing Switzerland, well done to them.”
The bottom of the huge vase-shaped trophy could be seen snapped off and lying on the floor as Nemo, the first non-binary winner of Eurovision, got up and walked around the rest of the stage.
The singer appeared unaware of the mishap as he lapped up the adoration from the crowd in Malmo, Sweden.
Yet fans were very much aware – and flooded social media with their comments about the star – who performed on a moving stage in a fluffy red coat.
One joked: “Finale step, break the trophy.”
A second put: “Don’t break the trophy Graham says…. and then he did,” as a third commented: “Nemo becoming the first winner to break the trophy live, and right after the victory.”
One excited viewer then put: “LMAO #NEMO YOU CAN HEAR THE CRACK WHEN THEY BREAK THEIR TROPHY.”
Another mused: “Don’t break the trophy ‘smash’ he broke the trophy.”
A fan then mused: “Nemo: ‘love, peace, dignity for every person in this world.’
“Also Nemo: Accidentally breaks the trophy three minutes later. If you needed a more apt metaphor for #Eurovision2024, good luck finding it.”
“Final step, break the trophy
X user
The track was about the act’s coming to terms with being non-binary, and consequently embracing their identity.
Nemo secured victory for Switzerland with a total of 591 points with front-runners Croatia sneaking in in second place.
Clap back
Nemo couldn’t help but make a somewhat pointed speech as they accepted the glass trophy from former winner Loreen, amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The Sun had exclusively reported earlier in the night how the double Eurovision winner had refused to hand over the trophy should Israel’s act Eden Golan have triumphed.
Prior to the final, a source told us: “She intends to make her position clear over her stance on Israel around her carefully choreographed and graceful trophy handover which will show the world what side of history she really stands on.
“There is a plan in place for Loreen to step on stage, leave the trophy on a plinth and depart before the presenters welcome Israel to the stage, should they win the coveted title.”
Yet on Nemo’s eventual victory, they received the trophy from the Euphoria hitmaker and said: “Thank you so much.
“I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world.”
Political point
Over the weekend, the venue has been subject to a huge amount of protestor activity, with a pro-Palestine mob attempting to storm the venue.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was one of those detained by authorities as Israel’s Eden Golan performed inside the Malmo Arena.
A mob of 20,000 pro-Palestine supporters took to the streets of Malmo ahead of the Eurovision finale as tensions over Israel’s inclusion hit boiling point.
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The march’s had been sparked due to Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza with Israel’s act, Eden, previously forced to stay in her hotel room until it was her time to be on-stage.
In another nod to the political protests, entries for Ireland, Switzerland and Greece also refused to take part in the flag parade during the final rehearsal.
France’s entry Slimane also paused his performance to make a speech promoting peace.
He said: “When I was a child, I dreamed about music, I dreamed about this dream to be a singer to sing peace.
“We need to be united by music, yes, but with love and peace.”
Yet this was not the only drama, as the Netherlands act was “pulled from rehearsals” on Friday.
Yesterday, Joost Klein was subsequently axed from the competition completely as cops “investigated a complaint by a female crew member.”
Oh Ol
Meanwhile, it was not a good Eurovision night for UK act Olly Alexander.
Earlier in the day, Olly, 33, let slip a teaser hinting his track Dizzy had gone down very well during the judges performance the night before.
The Years and Years singer received a respectable 46 points from the all the jury votes, which included eight points from Iceland.
Yet he ended up placed on the right hand side of the leaderboard after zero votes from the general public.
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After his performance of upbeat track Dizzy, UK fans were left furious after they claimed Olly Alexander was “sabotaged.”
Fans watching the BBC’s coverage noticed that the sound quality might not have been up to scratch, and at one point, Olly was seen touching his earpiece.
It came after he opened up on his embarrassing Eurovision blunder during the semi finals, where a similar mishap occured.
At that time, he said: “Eurovision update! Semi-final one was last night. I performed, it was good. My mic pack fell out halfway through the performance so I had to catch it and it just kind of threw me off,” he said.
“I was just worried. There were elements of the routine that I couldn’t really do as well as I would have liked.
“I was quite stressed that my pack was going to just fall of entirely and that my in-ears were going to… anyway. It doesn’t matter,” he said shaking his head.
“That is the thrill of live music, live television, anything can happen.”
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