It claims that the inclusion of Israel is “normalising and whitewashing its crimes”
Over 70 former Eurovision contestants have signed an open letter calling for Israel and national broadcaster KAN to be banned from the 2025 contest.
It is addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the song contest, and signees so far include 2023 UK contestant Mae Muller, Portuguese singer Fernando Tordo and Ireland’s Charlie McGettigan who won back in 1994.
In the letter, the signees say that the inclusion of Israel in the 2024 edition led to it being “the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history” (via Independent).
It also accuses the KAN broadcaster 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”.
By allowing Eurovision to create a continued platform, it claimed, EBU is “normalising and whitewashing its crimes”. It also outlined how more decisive action has been taken in the past, as 2022 saw Russia expelled from the competition amid declaring war on Ukraine – something it calls a “double standard”.
KAN came under fire last year too, when Irish contestant Bambie Thug alleged that it was “inciting violence” against them. The alleged actions led to the singer withdrawing from dress rehearsals.
Further controversy around Eurovision 2024 came when the EBU announced they reserved the right to remove Palestinian flags and symbols, and later censored Bambie Thug for wearing the words ‘ceasefire’ and ‘freedom for Palestine’ as a hidden message on their costume.
Over 1,000 Swedish artists called for Israel to be banned last year too, more than 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals signed a petition to ban the country from taking part as well, and over 400 Irish artists also called on Bambie Thug to boycott the contest too.
Despite all of this, the EBU allowed Israel to take part in the contest as usual, although its contestant, Eden Golan, threatened to pull out after being asked to amend her song ‘October Rain’ due to the references to the October 7 attacks.
The new letter addressed to the EBU regarding the 2025 edition comes after three other broadcasters from different countries questioned Israel’s role in the song contest. RTVE from Spain requested a discussion about the involvement, Slovenia’s RTV SLO network urged for Israel to be banned, and Iceland’s delegation and foreign minister called it “strange” that the country could still be involved in the contest.
In response, the EBU said that it is aware of the concerns and is “in constant contact with those participating this year” (via Independent), the song contest’s director, Martin Green CBE, also shared a statement with the outlet.
“We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East,” he said. “The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year.”
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“Additionally, as part of its mission to secure a sustainable future for public service media, the EBU is supporting our Israeli Member Kan against the threat from being privatised or shut down by the Israeli government,” he added.
“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.”
At time of writing, Israel is still taking part in the 2025 edition of Eurovision as usual, and will be represented by an October 7 survivor called Yuval Raphael, who will be singing a song called ‘New Day Will Rise’.
You can find the full letter addressed to the EBU here.
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