70 Eurovision musicians sign letter calling for Israel to be banned
Over 70 Eurovision contestants, current and former, have signed an open letter that calls for Israel and national broadcaster KAN to be banned from the 2025 show.
The letter is addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It calls out the KAN broadcaster, accusing them of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people”.
Notable signees so far include 2023 contestant Mae Muller, Irish contestant Charlie McGettigan, who won in 1994, and Portuguese singer Fernando Tordo.
The letter gestures to previous rule changes made for previous socio-political conflicts, highlighting that decisive action can be taken. For example, in 2022, Russia was expelled from the competition amidst its declaration of war on Ukraine.
In light of this connection, it was recently reported that the home of Khrystyna Starykova, the Ukrainian entrant in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, has been destroyed in the country’s ongoing war with Russia.
Despite rule changes due to solidarity with the Ukrainian plight, Eurovision reserved the right to remove Palestinian flags and symbols from its 2024 show. It also censored Bambie Thug for hiding the words “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” in their costume. The letter claims that these acts are “double standards.”
In 2024, over 1,000 Swedish artists, 400 Irish artists, and 1,400 music industry professionals called for Israel to be banned from the 2024 competition. The EBU allowed the show to run as usual. However, Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, also threatened to pull out after being asked to change the lyrics in her song ‘October Rain,’ which referenced the October 7th attacks.
RTVE from Spain has requested a discussion about the involvement. Slovenia’s RTV SLO network urged Israel to be banned, and Iceland’s delegation and foreign minister called it “strange” that the country could still be involved in the contest.
Similarly, the letter claims that the EBU is “normalising and whitewashing its crimes” by allowing Eurovision to create a continued platform.
The song contest’s director, Martin Green CBE, told the Independent that the EBU is aware of the backlash and “is in constant contact with those participating this year.”
“We are not immune to global events but, together, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music. The EBU remains aligned with other international organisations that have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time.”
Israel will be represented by an October 7th survivor, Yuval Raphael, who will sing a song entitled ‘New Day Will Rise’.
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