More than 1,000 artists and cultural workers have signed an open letter urging a boycott of this year's Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is banned from participating. The letter, issued by the No Music For Genocide campaign on April 21, calls on public broadcasters, performers, crew and fans to refuse to take part in or support the event.
Signatories include Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Paloma Faith, Paul Weller, Kneecap, IDLES, Primal Scream, Sigur Rós, Young Fathers, Mogwai, Macklemore, Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel, among others. They argue that Israel's involvement in the ongoing conflict in Gaza should disqualify it from the competition, similar to the ban imposed on Russia in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
The letter states: 'We reject Eurovision being used to whitewash and normalise Israel's genocide, siege and brutal military occupation against Palestinians.' It praises the withdrawals of broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, as well as Iceland, and notes that 11 of 16 entrants in Portugal's national selection have pledged to refuse to perform if they win.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided on December 4 to allow Israel to compete in Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna on May 16. The campaign highlights what it calls the EBU's hypocrisy, pointing out that Russia was banned for bringing the competition into disrepute, while Israel's actions over more than 30 months of conflict have not prompted a similar response.
Kneecap, in a statement, said: 'We've paid a price for speaking out – lost gigs, court cases, visa bans – and we'd do it all again tomorrow. Silence is complicity.' No Music For Genocide organisers added that Israel has used its 53-year Eurovision tenure to perpetuate 'apartheid, torture, land theft, and military occupation' with impunity.
