Over 1,100 artists and cultural workers have signed an open letter calling for 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, urges fans, broadcasters, and performers to refuse to take part in or support the competition.
Signatories include Paloma Faith, Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Paul Weller, IDLES, Primal Scream, Sigur Rós, Kneecap, and many others. They argue that Israel's participation whitewashes its actions in Gaza, which they describe as genocide, siege, and brutal military occupation. The letter draws a parallel to the EBU's decision to ban Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine.
Several countries have already withdrawn from the contest, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Iceland. Additionally, 11 of 16 finalists in Portugal's national selection have said they would refuse to perform if they win, putting the country's participation at risk.
The letter states: 'We reject Eurovision being used to whitewash and normalise Israel's genocide, siege and brutal military occupation against Palestinians.' It also applauds the 'principled withdrawals' of the aforementioned broadcasters and national selection finalists.
Kneecap, one of the signatories, 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 stage for genocide. Free Palestine.'
The 'No Music For Genocide' campaign encourages artists to pull their music from streaming platforms in Israel and calls for a boycott until the EBU bans Israeli broadcaster KAN.
