Austrian Jewish students forced to hold Eurovision screening under heavy police guard

Jewish students in Vienna say they were only able to hold a public Eurovision screening at a university campus after extensive police protection was arranged, amid growing fears over antisemitism and Jewish safety across Europe.

The Austrian Union of Jewish Students (JöH) said it had spent two weeks being warned that organising a public viewing of Saturday’s Eurovision final at the University of Vienna posed serious security concerns because the event was being openly organised by Jewish students.

Speaking in recorded comments shared with the media by Media Oriente, co-president Mili Li Rabinovich said organisers were repeatedly told: “It’s too dangerous to be openly Jewish and to have a normal public viewing”.

The screening ultimately went ahead at Vienna’s Alte AKH university complex under a significant police presence following security coordination with authorities.

“It is crazy and scandalous to believe that in the year 2026 in Austria, Jewish students aren’t able to have a public viewing,” said the union’s second co-president, Lia Gutmann.

The student leaders described what they said was a worsening climate for Jewish students both in Austria and across Europe since the 7 October Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.

“I feel like antisemitism has risen in the last three years, especially in Austria, but also all over Europe,” Gutmann said.

“We heard from a lot of Jewish students who are telling us, we are afraid, we don’t want to say in university that we’re Jewish, because we’re afraid of what is going to happen.”

Gutmann said many Jewish students now feared openly expressing their identity on campus because of potential hostility or abuse.

Rabinovich said the union had been determined not to move the event behind closed doors despite the warnings.

“We had to think of a new solution to keep an openly Jewish space as Jewish students and create a safe space where we can watch the song contest together,” she said.

The student leaders also said their fears extended beyond protests or demonstrations.

“We are not afraid of demonstrations or protests,” Rabinovich said in the recording. “We live in an open democracy.”

“The threat we are afraid of is attacks and terrorist attacks,” she added. “So it’s very scary.”

The comments are likely to resonate with many British Jewish students, amid continuing concerns within the UK Jewish community about antisemitism and intimidation on university campuses.

Despite the security concerns, both student leaders insisted they would continue organising visible Jewish events.

“We want to show that we’re Jewish and we’re proud of it,” Gutmann said.

“We won’t back down, and we won’t hide,” Rabinovich added.