Norway last night won the Eurovision Song Contest with a record 387 points. It was also a record winning margin by a song - by 169 points. It is the third time Norway has won it, having previously been victorious in 1995 and 1985.
Twenty-five nations took part, and this year's competition opened with a performance by the rubbish Cirque du Soleil.
Singer and violinist Alexander Rybak won for his nation with a jolly little folk-inspired English-language ditty called "Fairytale", a love song which includes the lyrics "I'm in love with a fairytale."
The UK, which has won the contest more times than any nation other than Ireland (not surprising when it's the nation that gave the world acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Oasis), finished 5th with 173 points, a marked inprovement on the last few years when it has finished near the bottom. Last year, it finished bottom.
Jade Ewen was the UK's entry and the beautiful ballad, "It's My Time", written by composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (famous for writing Phantom of the Opera) - who was on the stage playing the piano - was one of the best songs in the competition and received one of the biggest ovations of the night.
Jade has done her country proud. It is the UK's best performance since 2002 when it finished third. The UK has not won the Eurovision since 1997 when Katrina And The Waves won in Dublin with "Love Shine A Light."
Over 150 million people, from little Iceland in the west of this ancient continent to gargantuan Russia in the east, watched this contest, held in Moscow as Russia won last year's contest. And many of the songs mirrored the many diverse cultures that exist across Europe.
There has been controversy in recent years over bloc voting, with members of the public voting for neighbouring countries (you can't vote for your own country). This even caused Sir Terry Wogan, who has been commentating the event for British TV for over 30 years, to stand down last year after a good British song (one of the best in the contest) finished last in last year's contest. So we had situation when the Baltic states gave each other points, and the Balkan states giving each other points, and the Scandinavian states giving each other points.
So this year there was a change to the voting to combat the bloc voting. This year (and from now on) half of the votes will come from members of the public, as always, and half will come from music professionals. This is to make sure that good songs win the competition and not merely acts who received loads of points from nexy door countries.
It may be more than just a coincidence that Britain's 5th place finish, much improved of the last five years or so, when it always finished near the bottom (despite usually having one of the best songs), has happened as soon as the competition took steps to combat bloc voting.
And the combatting of the bloc voting improved the quality of this year's competition, with participants now knowing that only good songs can win the competition and not just extravagant performances.
Though there were two or three turgid offerings, such as those by Sweden (a woman who couldn't sing) and Germany (the song was so bad the band had Dita von Teese on stage in the hope it will win votes). It's no wonder that Germany has only ever won the Eurovision once.
Finland, who peformed an American-style rap, finished last with a meagre 22 points.
Norway's baby-faced fiddler wins Eurovision... but Jade Ewen does the UK proud and turns the tide of tactical voting
By Daily Mail Reporter
17th May 2009
Daily Mail
2009 Eurovision Song Contest, results
1) Norway - 387 points
2) Iceland - 218
3) Azerbaijan - 207
4) Turkey - 177
5) UK - 173
6) Estonia - 129
7) Greece - 120
8 ) France - 107
9) Bosnia&Herzegovina - 106
10) Armenia - 92
11) Russia - 91
12) Ukraine - 76
13) Denmark - 74
14) Moldova - 69
15) Portugal - 57
16) Israel - 53
17) Albania - 48
18 ) Croatia - 45
19) Romania - 40
20) Germany - 35
21) Sweden - 33
22) Malta - 31
23) Lithuania - 23
24) Spain - 23
25) Finland - 22
It wasn't quite her time, but Jade Ewen did her country proud when she earned the UK fifth place in the 54th Eurovision Song Contest 2009.
The Londoner's result was a significant improvement on last year's bottom-of-the-league rating, succeeding in reversing the UK's bad run of results in the contest in recent years with It's My Time by Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Diane Warren.
It raises hopes that the landscape of Eurovision's voting process has been changed - with votes being cast on acts' musical merit instead of for tactical reasons.
Not quite her time... but did the UK's Jade Ewen help turn the tide of tactical voting associated with Eurovision?
The last time the UK enjoyed victory in the competition was in 1997 when Katrina And The Waves won in Dublin with Love Shine A Light.
However the 21-year-old singer's effort failed to secure enough points to compete with record-breaking Norway, who was crowned winner in Moscow.
With a score of 387, singer and violinist Alexander Rybak beat 24 other contestants and broke the record for the most points awarded during the competition with his folk-inspired song Fairytale.
The 23-year-old ethnic Belarussian, who grew up outside of Oslo, had been a pre-tournament favourite. This is the third time Norway has won the competition.
Iceland came in second with 218 points and Azerbaijan third with a score of 207.
Flying the flag for the UK: Jade Ewen, the UK's act, performs on stage under the watchful eye of Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber. She finished a respectable 5th
For the first time, voting in the final was split between televoting and panels of musical experts, designed to reduce the controversial 'neighbourly' voting practice.
Tonight's result could now mark an end to the controversial practice of tactical voting which has blighted the competition in recent years.
Last year's UK hopeful Andy Abraham finished joint last, raising questions about whether there was any point in the UK bothering to enter the competition if political voting took precedence.
This year, for the first time, phone votes from the public were combined with the votes of national juries to decide the marks and although alliances between neighbouring countries remained apparent, the winning Norwegian violin song Fairytale won praise across the borders.
Winner: Norway's entry Alexander Rybak was the surprise winner
Winner's smile: Rybak holds his trophy after being crowned 2009 Eurovision winner
This year was also the first without Eurovision legend Sir Terry Wogan, who quit after last year's contest.
Sir Terry, who had been associated with the competition from the early 1970s, built up a huge following with his humorous comments but after Abraham's disappointment he said it was 'no longer a music contest' and that prospects for Western European participants were 'poor'.
But this year Graham Norton slipped easily into the role and injected some of the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm Wogan was famous for.
Racy: Dita Von Teese shows off her 16 inch waist as she performs alongside German singer Oscar Loya of 'Alex Swings Oscar Sings'
What a Teese: Burlesque star Dita bolsters Germany's bog-standard entry with a raunchy striptease, though it didn't stop Germany finishing 20th
Introducing opening act Cirque du Soleil, Norton observed: 'I didn't realise Janette Krankie was performing'.
And before Albania's entry he quipped: 'The bad news is you're about to watch Albania. She's only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn't she step in a say no?'
Finalists from 25 countries performed an array of songs in the musical bonanza that is one of the most watched annual television events on the continent.
Second place: Iceland's Yohanna with Is It True
Flames licked the stage's periphery and vast electronic screens blazed stunning backdrops in a spectacular show, which featured cheesy, high-energy pop and tear-jerking ballads.
In a Eurovision first, crew members of the International Space Station gave the command to start telephone voting in a video message from the orbiting science laboratory.
Among the highlights was a saucy striptease routine from burlesque star Dita Von Teese, who performed as part of Germany's entry, receiving a riotous reaction from the audience.
Third place: Azerbaijan's duo Aysel and Aras sang 'Always'
But not even the skin-tight silver trousers of German singer Alex Swings Oscar Sings - or his bizarre tap dance routine - could distract from his bum notes.
Despite Dita's impressive performance, they only managed 20th place.
Apart from a minor collision with a violinist's elbow, the UK's Jade Ewen dazzled on stage with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Azerbaijan's offering, Always from AySel & Aras, received a standing ovation while Iceland's Yohanna, Malta's Chiara and Sweden's Malena Ernman were met with rapturous applause.
Belly-dancing Beyonce: Turkey's singer Hadise came in fourth place, just finishing ahead of the UK
However Romania's performance sparked speculation that the foxy lead singer could have been lip-syncing.
As the scantily-clad women performed, a lone figure was seen in the shadows, but Romania insisted she was simply a backing singer.
This speculation was fuelled by Norton who revealed competition rules state all performers must be present on stage, but that the rules said nothing about whether others could mime.
Unsurprisingly, the contest featured its share of strange performances.
Albania's singer was aged just 17... and was accompanied by a dancer masked in sequins
France's entry, a heavily made up Patricia Kaas, wailed her way through a truly forgettable number made only slightly more interesting with a strange, writhing dance routine at the end.
Greece's answer to Ricky Martin pranced on stage in white, skin-tight trousers, with over-enthusiastic dance moves to match his high-energy Euro pop number.
Dressed in what looked like a net curtain and performing in front of a giant image of herself as a old woman, Russia's Anastasia Prikhodko was a last-minute contender. Norton revealed her father is a billionaire.
Romania's Elena and her dancers dazzled. But was the real star of this song hidden in the shadows?
Racy: Ukraine's Svetlana Loboda performed a risqué routine with centurion dancers
A Bosnian Boyzone-style group didn't amaze with their drum-led performance. But if viewers thought Denmark's offering also sounded remarkably like the Irish pop band, it's not surprising as Ronan Keating was one of the song's writers.
COUNTRIES WITH MOST EUROVISION WINS
1) Republic of Ireland - 7
2) France, Luxembourg, UK - 5
3) Netherlands, Sweden - 4
4) Norway, Israel - 3
5) Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark - 2
6) Austria, Monaco, Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Latvia, Turkey, Ukraine, Greece, Finland, Serbia, Russia - 1
Russia tried to capitalise on the prestigious event to showcase the nation's hospitality and growing role in modern society, but those efforts were undermined several hours earlier when riot police attacked gay pride rallies in the capital.
Gay rights activists sought to use the international competition to draw attention to what they call widespread discrimination against homosexuals in Russia. No injuries were reported.
Dima Bilan, who won the 2008 competition held in Serbia, performed his victorious 'Believe' R&B-style song before the competition kicked off with the Lithuanian entry - a piano ballad featuring various pyrotechnics.
Strictly Spanish: Soraya, representing Spain, looked like a contestant from Strictly Come Dancing
Enlarge
Eastern bloc: Estonia's Urban Symphony (left) brought a classical slant to the evening, while Russia's entry Anastasia Prikhodko was a last-minute addition. On the giant screen behind her was the slightly creepy image of her face growing older over the course of the song
Britain, which has traditionally fared well in the contest (only Ireland has won it more), has struggled in recent years. But a campaign of musical diplomacy by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the country's offering, won the country unlikely support from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Bookmakers also gave highly favourable odds to Greece, which was pinning its hopes on an elaborately choreographed stage performance involving a giant flashing treadmill.
Israel made an appeal for peace and harmony with 'There Must Be Another Way', sung in Arabic, Hebrew and English by Arab-Jewish duo Noa and Mira.
Traditional: Moldovan singer Nelly Ciobanu kicked her heels up
Sweden's performer Malena Ernman tried - and sometimes failed - to hit several octaves
Russia, which earned the right to host this year's event with Bilan's victory, was pinning its hopes on 'Mamo', an overwrought ballad composed by a Georgian songwriter and partially performed in Ukrainian by a Ukrainian-born artist Anastasia Prikhodko.
Some contestants had tried to use the competition as a venue for settling international scores.
Two months ago, the pop group Stephane and 3G from Georgia vowed to perform 'We Don't Wanna Put In', a frenzied disco song that took a rhythmic rapier thrust at Putin.
The group pulled out when organisers warned that politically charged songs would not be permitted, including one referring to last year's Russia-Georgia war.
Finland's group Waldo's People managed a dismal 25th place with a US-style rap
Greece's answer to Ricky Martin, Sakis Rouvas, dances on stage in very tight trousers
Georgia responded by organizing its own state-supported songfest this weekend, Alter/Vision, drawing groups from 10 countries, including Russia. Stephane and 3G were to perform at the festival in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and young Georgians sang the 'Put In' lyrics on the streets as it got under way Friday evening.
Moscow authorities worked hard to turn the Eurovision contest to display Russia's hospitality and prestige, splashing out 24million euros ($32.5 million) on the show and a week-long series of decadent parties.
But the climate of goodwill was shattered in the hours ahead of the competition, when riot police broke up several gay rights demonstrations in Moscow.
Writhing: France's performer Patrica Kaas launched into a bizarre dance routine
Representing Western Europe: Portuguese act Flor-de-lis
Eurovision enjoys considerable support from the gay community, and Russian activists hoped to take advantage of the event to draw international attention to what they describe as rampant homophobia in the country.
Police hauled away around 40 demonstrators, including Britain-based activist Peter Tatchell and American activist Andy Thayer of Chicago, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network.
'Today's arrests go against the principles of Eurovision, which are about peace, harmony, cooperation and unity between all the peoples in Europe,' Tatchell said after being released by police.
Israel's message of peace, sung in Arabic, Hebrew and English
dailymail.co.uk
Twenty-five nations took part, and this year's competition opened with a performance by the rubbish Cirque du Soleil.
Singer and violinist Alexander Rybak won for his nation with a jolly little folk-inspired English-language ditty called "Fairytale", a love song which includes the lyrics "I'm in love with a fairytale."
The UK, which has won the contest more times than any nation other than Ireland (not surprising when it's the nation that gave the world acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Oasis), finished 5th with 173 points, a marked inprovement on the last few years when it has finished near the bottom. Last year, it finished bottom.
Jade Ewen was the UK's entry and the beautiful ballad, "It's My Time", written by composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (famous for writing Phantom of the Opera) - who was on the stage playing the piano - was one of the best songs in the competition and received one of the biggest ovations of the night.
Jade has done her country proud. It is the UK's best performance since 2002 when it finished third. The UK has not won the Eurovision since 1997 when Katrina And The Waves won in Dublin with "Love Shine A Light."
Over 150 million people, from little Iceland in the west of this ancient continent to gargantuan Russia in the east, watched this contest, held in Moscow as Russia won last year's contest. And many of the songs mirrored the many diverse cultures that exist across Europe.
There has been controversy in recent years over bloc voting, with members of the public voting for neighbouring countries (you can't vote for your own country). This even caused Sir Terry Wogan, who has been commentating the event for British TV for over 30 years, to stand down last year after a good British song (one of the best in the contest) finished last in last year's contest. So we had situation when the Baltic states gave each other points, and the Balkan states giving each other points, and the Scandinavian states giving each other points.
So this year there was a change to the voting to combat the bloc voting. This year (and from now on) half of the votes will come from members of the public, as always, and half will come from music professionals. This is to make sure that good songs win the competition and not merely acts who received loads of points from nexy door countries.
It may be more than just a coincidence that Britain's 5th place finish, much improved of the last five years or so, when it always finished near the bottom (despite usually having one of the best songs), has happened as soon as the competition took steps to combat bloc voting.
And the combatting of the bloc voting improved the quality of this year's competition, with participants now knowing that only good songs can win the competition and not just extravagant performances.
Though there were two or three turgid offerings, such as those by Sweden (a woman who couldn't sing) and Germany (the song was so bad the band had Dita von Teese on stage in the hope it will win votes). It's no wonder that Germany has only ever won the Eurovision once.
Finland, who peformed an American-style rap, finished last with a meagre 22 points.
Norway's baby-faced fiddler wins Eurovision... but Jade Ewen does the UK proud and turns the tide of tactical voting
By Daily Mail Reporter
17th May 2009
Daily Mail
2009 Eurovision Song Contest, results
1) Norway - 387 points
2) Iceland - 218
3) Azerbaijan - 207
4) Turkey - 177
5) UK - 173
6) Estonia - 129
7) Greece - 120
8 ) France - 107
9) Bosnia&Herzegovina - 106
10) Armenia - 92
11) Russia - 91
12) Ukraine - 76
13) Denmark - 74
14) Moldova - 69
15) Portugal - 57
16) Israel - 53
17) Albania - 48
18 ) Croatia - 45
19) Romania - 40
20) Germany - 35
21) Sweden - 33
22) Malta - 31
23) Lithuania - 23
24) Spain - 23
25) Finland - 22
It wasn't quite her time, but Jade Ewen did her country proud when she earned the UK fifth place in the 54th Eurovision Song Contest 2009.
The Londoner's result was a significant improvement on last year's bottom-of-the-league rating, succeeding in reversing the UK's bad run of results in the contest in recent years with It's My Time by Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Diane Warren.
It raises hopes that the landscape of Eurovision's voting process has been changed - with votes being cast on acts' musical merit instead of for tactical reasons.
Not quite her time... but did the UK's Jade Ewen help turn the tide of tactical voting associated with Eurovision?
The last time the UK enjoyed victory in the competition was in 1997 when Katrina And The Waves won in Dublin with Love Shine A Light.
However the 21-year-old singer's effort failed to secure enough points to compete with record-breaking Norway, who was crowned winner in Moscow.
With a score of 387, singer and violinist Alexander Rybak beat 24 other contestants and broke the record for the most points awarded during the competition with his folk-inspired song Fairytale.
The 23-year-old ethnic Belarussian, who grew up outside of Oslo, had been a pre-tournament favourite. This is the third time Norway has won the competition.
Iceland came in second with 218 points and Azerbaijan third with a score of 207.
Flying the flag for the UK: Jade Ewen, the UK's act, performs on stage under the watchful eye of Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber. She finished a respectable 5th
For the first time, voting in the final was split between televoting and panels of musical experts, designed to reduce the controversial 'neighbourly' voting practice.
Tonight's result could now mark an end to the controversial practice of tactical voting which has blighted the competition in recent years.
Last year's UK hopeful Andy Abraham finished joint last, raising questions about whether there was any point in the UK bothering to enter the competition if political voting took precedence.
This year, for the first time, phone votes from the public were combined with the votes of national juries to decide the marks and although alliances between neighbouring countries remained apparent, the winning Norwegian violin song Fairytale won praise across the borders.
Winner: Norway's entry Alexander Rybak was the surprise winner
Winner's smile: Rybak holds his trophy after being crowned 2009 Eurovision winner
This year was also the first without Eurovision legend Sir Terry Wogan, who quit after last year's contest.
Sir Terry, who had been associated with the competition from the early 1970s, built up a huge following with his humorous comments but after Abraham's disappointment he said it was 'no longer a music contest' and that prospects for Western European participants were 'poor'.
But this year Graham Norton slipped easily into the role and injected some of the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm Wogan was famous for.
Racy: Dita Von Teese shows off her 16 inch waist as she performs alongside German singer Oscar Loya of 'Alex Swings Oscar Sings'
What a Teese: Burlesque star Dita bolsters Germany's bog-standard entry with a raunchy striptease, though it didn't stop Germany finishing 20th
Introducing opening act Cirque du Soleil, Norton observed: 'I didn't realise Janette Krankie was performing'.
And before Albania's entry he quipped: 'The bad news is you're about to watch Albania. She's only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn't she step in a say no?'
Finalists from 25 countries performed an array of songs in the musical bonanza that is one of the most watched annual television events on the continent.
Second place: Iceland's Yohanna with Is It True
Flames licked the stage's periphery and vast electronic screens blazed stunning backdrops in a spectacular show, which featured cheesy, high-energy pop and tear-jerking ballads.
In a Eurovision first, crew members of the International Space Station gave the command to start telephone voting in a video message from the orbiting science laboratory.
Among the highlights was a saucy striptease routine from burlesque star Dita Von Teese, who performed as part of Germany's entry, receiving a riotous reaction from the audience.
Third place: Azerbaijan's duo Aysel and Aras sang 'Always'
But not even the skin-tight silver trousers of German singer Alex Swings Oscar Sings - or his bizarre tap dance routine - could distract from his bum notes.
Despite Dita's impressive performance, they only managed 20th place.
Apart from a minor collision with a violinist's elbow, the UK's Jade Ewen dazzled on stage with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Azerbaijan's offering, Always from AySel & Aras, received a standing ovation while Iceland's Yohanna, Malta's Chiara and Sweden's Malena Ernman were met with rapturous applause.
Belly-dancing Beyonce: Turkey's singer Hadise came in fourth place, just finishing ahead of the UK
However Romania's performance sparked speculation that the foxy lead singer could have been lip-syncing.
As the scantily-clad women performed, a lone figure was seen in the shadows, but Romania insisted she was simply a backing singer.
This speculation was fuelled by Norton who revealed competition rules state all performers must be present on stage, but that the rules said nothing about whether others could mime.
Unsurprisingly, the contest featured its share of strange performances.
Albania's singer was aged just 17... and was accompanied by a dancer masked in sequins
France's entry, a heavily made up Patricia Kaas, wailed her way through a truly forgettable number made only slightly more interesting with a strange, writhing dance routine at the end.
Greece's answer to Ricky Martin pranced on stage in white, skin-tight trousers, with over-enthusiastic dance moves to match his high-energy Euro pop number.
Dressed in what looked like a net curtain and performing in front of a giant image of herself as a old woman, Russia's Anastasia Prikhodko was a last-minute contender. Norton revealed her father is a billionaire.
Romania's Elena and her dancers dazzled. But was the real star of this song hidden in the shadows?
Racy: Ukraine's Svetlana Loboda performed a risqué routine with centurion dancers
A Bosnian Boyzone-style group didn't amaze with their drum-led performance. But if viewers thought Denmark's offering also sounded remarkably like the Irish pop band, it's not surprising as Ronan Keating was one of the song's writers.
COUNTRIES WITH MOST EUROVISION WINS
1) Republic of Ireland - 7
2) France, Luxembourg, UK - 5
3) Netherlands, Sweden - 4
4) Norway, Israel - 3
5) Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark - 2
6) Austria, Monaco, Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Latvia, Turkey, Ukraine, Greece, Finland, Serbia, Russia - 1
Russia tried to capitalise on the prestigious event to showcase the nation's hospitality and growing role in modern society, but those efforts were undermined several hours earlier when riot police attacked gay pride rallies in the capital.
Gay rights activists sought to use the international competition to draw attention to what they call widespread discrimination against homosexuals in Russia. No injuries were reported.
Dima Bilan, who won the 2008 competition held in Serbia, performed his victorious 'Believe' R&B-style song before the competition kicked off with the Lithuanian entry - a piano ballad featuring various pyrotechnics.
Strictly Spanish: Soraya, representing Spain, looked like a contestant from Strictly Come Dancing
Enlarge
Eastern bloc: Estonia's Urban Symphony (left) brought a classical slant to the evening, while Russia's entry Anastasia Prikhodko was a last-minute addition. On the giant screen behind her was the slightly creepy image of her face growing older over the course of the song
Britain, which has traditionally fared well in the contest (only Ireland has won it more), has struggled in recent years. But a campaign of musical diplomacy by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the country's offering, won the country unlikely support from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Bookmakers also gave highly favourable odds to Greece, which was pinning its hopes on an elaborately choreographed stage performance involving a giant flashing treadmill.
Israel made an appeal for peace and harmony with 'There Must Be Another Way', sung in Arabic, Hebrew and English by Arab-Jewish duo Noa and Mira.
Sweden's performer Malena Ernman tried - and sometimes failed - to hit several octaves
Russia, which earned the right to host this year's event with Bilan's victory, was pinning its hopes on 'Mamo', an overwrought ballad composed by a Georgian songwriter and partially performed in Ukrainian by a Ukrainian-born artist Anastasia Prikhodko.
Some contestants had tried to use the competition as a venue for settling international scores.
Two months ago, the pop group Stephane and 3G from Georgia vowed to perform 'We Don't Wanna Put In', a frenzied disco song that took a rhythmic rapier thrust at Putin.
The group pulled out when organisers warned that politically charged songs would not be permitted, including one referring to last year's Russia-Georgia war.
Finland's group Waldo's People managed a dismal 25th place with a US-style rap
Greece's answer to Ricky Martin, Sakis Rouvas, dances on stage in very tight trousers
Georgia responded by organizing its own state-supported songfest this weekend, Alter/Vision, drawing groups from 10 countries, including Russia. Stephane and 3G were to perform at the festival in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and young Georgians sang the 'Put In' lyrics on the streets as it got under way Friday evening.
Moscow authorities worked hard to turn the Eurovision contest to display Russia's hospitality and prestige, splashing out 24million euros ($32.5 million) on the show and a week-long series of decadent parties.
But the climate of goodwill was shattered in the hours ahead of the competition, when riot police broke up several gay rights demonstrations in Moscow.
Writhing: France's performer Patrica Kaas launched into a bizarre dance routine
Eurovision enjoys considerable support from the gay community, and Russian activists hoped to take advantage of the event to draw international attention to what they describe as rampant homophobia in the country.
Police hauled away around 40 demonstrators, including Britain-based activist Peter Tatchell and American activist Andy Thayer of Chicago, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network.
'Today's arrests go against the principles of Eurovision, which are about peace, harmony, cooperation and unity between all the peoples in Europe,' Tatchell said after being released by police.
dailymail.co.uk
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