Zürcher Nachrichten - Ireland's Eurovision entry shares cryptic post ahead of final

"There was a situation while we were waiting to go to stage for the flag parade rehearsal which I felt needed urgent attention from the EBU (European Broadcasting Union)," Bambie Thug, the singer-songwriter also known as Bambie Ray Robinson, wrote on Instagram.

"The EBU have taken this matter seriously and we have been in a discussion about what action needs to be taken," Bambie Thug continued, adding: "I hope to see you on the stage tonight."

The cryptic post comes after Dutch contestant Joost Klein was disqualified over a complaint made by a female member of the production crew that is being investigated by Swedish police.

Police, meanwhile, have said up to 20,000 demonstrators are expected to rally against Israel's participation in the contest in the Swedish city of Malmo, whose more than 360,000 inhabitants represent 186 nationalities, many from the Middle East.

The Eurovision organisers said Bambie Thug missed the dress rehearsal "due to a situation that is currently being discussed with the EBU and song contest organisers".

"We hope that this will be resolved shortly and Bambie Thug will appear in the grand final show as planned," it added.

Bambie Thug has been critical of Israel competing in the contest and has called for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

Irish broadcaster RTE has reported that the singer called on organisers to address commentary made on Israeli television before a performance in Tuesday's semi-final.

The UK's PA news agency reported that this was not believed to be related to the situation described in Bambie Thug's Instagram post.

A.Ferraro--NZN