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This past Saturday, Vienna’s Stadthalle played host to the 70th annual Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), following singer JJ’s victory with song ‘Wasted Love’ in Basel last year. This year’s competition had attracted global attention due to the controversies surrounding Israel’s inclusion. Their military activity in Palestine has received international condemnation since 2024, amplified by recent conflicts with Lebanon and Iran. The national broadcasters for Ireland, Slovenia, The Netherlands and Iceland all withdrew their entries in protest.

But their behaviour pertaining to the ESC has also brought the integrity of the competition into question. Israel’s 2025 entry ‘New Day Will Rise’, performed by Yuval Raphael, narrowly missed out on winning due to unprecedentedly high backing from the phone voting, which makes up half of the scoring system. After seeing a similar pattern in 2024, where they also placed second, more than a few eyebrows were raised – this led the New York Times to conduct an investigation, which suggested that the Israeli government heavily invested money and influence in order to sway voters across Europe. Social media accounts including those owned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu encouraged fans to vote the maximum of 20 times for their entrants. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, changed the rules this year in response, reducing the maximum phone votes to 10, and restricting unfair endorsement practices.

As the contest in Vienna got underway, two songs were predicted as standout favourites after their semi-final performances in the preceding days. Australia’s Delta Goodrem dazzled fans with an alluring stage show and fantastic range on power ballad ‘Eclipse’, while Finnish duo Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius set the stage alight with their vocal and violin duet ‘Liekinheitin’ (which is Finnish for ‘flamethrower’). Elsewhere, Israel were again expected to thrive with the phone votes for Noah Bettan’s love song ‘Michelle’, despite boos and heckles throughout his participation, and the BBC’s host Graham Norton anticipated big things for controversial Romanian rock epic ‘Choke Me’, performed by Alexandra Căpitănescu. Our own entry, singer-songwriter Sam Battle performing under his act Look Mum No Computer, was a wildcard electronic entry with ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’.

One song that flew just under the radar was the eventual winner ‘Bangaranga’. Bulgarian pop singer Dara’s performance had everything Eurovision loves – a pounding dance beat, bizarre aesthetics, and a simple but infectious hook. As the scores from the international juries tallied up, Dara was in first place on 204 points, ahead of Australia in second on 165. However, as the phone votes came in, Israel shot straight to first with a massive surge of support, while unlucky Sam Battle was left with a single meagre point. With a score of 343 points to beat and only Bulgaria left to be declared, the tension for their final total was immense. In a twist, Bulgaria received an enormous boon of 312 points, for an end result of 516 and a landslide victory. With the UK tragically in last place of 25, the top 5 looked like this:

 
1. Bulgaria: Dara – ‘Bangaranga’ (516 points)
2. Israel: Noam Bettan – ‘Michelle’ (343 points)
3. Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – ‘Choke Me’ (296 points)
4. Australia: Delta Goodrem – ‘Eclipse’ (287 points)
5. Italy: Sal Da Vinci – ‘Per Sempre (281 points)

27 year old Dara is a well-known pop star in Bulgaria, and has gone home a hero after winning the country its first Eurovision Song Contest. Speaking backstage after her victory, she said “I want to thank everybody who felt the Bangaranga and felt connected to the force.” Bulgarian National Television, their broadcaster who represents the country in the EBU, has confirmed that the 2027 song contest will be held in the capital Sofia.

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The letter comes after the December 4 vote held by organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), that decided Israel would be allowed to participate in the 2026 contest in Vienna next month. The decision was made despite both Israel’s involvement in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and controversy over Eurovision 2025’s voting process.

Massive Attack, Brian Eno, IDLES, Primal Scream, Paloma Faith, Kneecap, Paul Weller, Hot Chip, Of Monsters and Men, Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Black Country New Road, Nadine Shah, Nemahsis and several previous Eurovision finalists are among the artists which signed today’s (21 April) open letter. In it, No Music For Genocide calls for the EBU to apply the same exclusions standards to Israel as have applied to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been banned from Eurovision since 2022.

NMFG’s campaign urges artists to geo-block their music from streaming platforms in Israel. Since September the movement has seen support from Kneecap, Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream, Hayley Williams, Rina Sawayama and many more artists.

 Today’s open letter also calls on “public broadcasters, performers, screening party organisers, crew, and fans to boycott Eurovision.” Last year’s Eurovision final drew in 166 million viewers worldwide, a staggering figure which rivals both the Super Bowl and the Grammys viewerships. NMFG cited this as a reason for their urgency in calling for the boycott in their Instagram post, found below.

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The EBU said in a statement, “A large majority of Members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place.” 

Four countries dropped from the 2026 competition as a result of the December 4 vote from the EBU: Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain will not participate. Six days later, on December 10, Iceland withdrew from the contest. On the same day, 11 of Portugal’s 16 entrants said they will decline performing if they win. This threatens Portugal’s ability to participate in Eurovision 2026. 

The open letter commends the aforementioned countries, saying NMFG “applaud[s] the principled withdrawals of the Spanish, Irish, Icelandic, Slovenian, and Dutch broadcasters, and the many national selection finalists committing to refuse to go to Eurovision. Just as artists stood against oppression in South Africa, we stand together now.”

Irish hip-hop trio, Kneecap spoke on the open letter: “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. We stand with No Music for Genocide and every artist, fan and broadcaster who refuses to let the world’s biggest music event be used to whitewash genocide. No stage for genocide. Free Palestine.”

Fellow signees, Massive Attack, have also previously faced scrutiny for their support of these issues. Robert Del Naja was detained on 11 April at a protest connected to Palestinian Action. Just days later, the group released their first new music since 2020: the single ‘Boots on the Ground’ featuring Tom Waits and rife with political commentary.

The BBC will go on airing Eurovision 2026 from 14 May to 16 May, despite many British artists signing NMFG’s letter. In a statement after the December 4 vote, the BBC said it supports “the collective decision made by members of the EBU. This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”

In NFMG’s own statement regarding their open letter, organisers said they “[stand] with and [amplify] the incredible grassroots organising efforts across Europe to boycott Eurovision until Israel is banned. From PACBI to direct actionists, from Film Workers For Palestine in Hollywood to striking dockworkers in Italy and Morocco, people of conscience around the globe are fighting complicity in every industry for a free Palestine and a freer world.”

The entire open letter from No Music for Genocide is available to read here. 

Nemo, who won the 2024 contest in Malmö, Sweden, with the song “The Code”, announced their decision through an official statement posted on social media this week. The artist explained that returning the trophy was a symbolic act intended to draw attention to what they view as a moral inconsistency within the competition’s governing body. They expressed disappointment that, despite growing public pressure and widespread calls for the EBU to suspend Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the broadcaster group confirmed Israel’s eligibility for the 2026 event.

The EBU’s recent decision to include Israel has reignited debate around the political neutrality of Eurovision, which bills itself as an apolitical celebration of music and culture. Critics have accused the organisation of double standards, pointing to its decision to bar Russia from the competition in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. Supporters of Nemo’s stance argue that continuing to allow Israel to compete undermines the contest’s credibility and social responsibility at a time of humanitarian crisis.

In their announcement, Nemo reiterated support for freedom, equality, and human rights for all people affected by war, emphasising that their protest was directed at institutions rather than individuals or fellow artists. The decision has sparked a wave of responses across the Eurovision community, with fans and past contestants divided on how politics should intersect with the music contest. Some have hailed the move as courageous and consistent with Nemo’s progressive advocacy, while others defended the EBU’s commitment to maintaining Eurovision as a politically neutral event.

The EBU, in a brief statement responding to Nemo’s decision, confirmed receipt of the trophy but maintained its longstanding policy that Eurovision is “not a platform for political statements.” The organisation noted that all participating broadcasters must adhere to its rules of impartiality and inclusion. Nonetheless, the decision to proceed with Israel’s participation in 2026, expected to be in Madrid, has continued to fuel debate over how the contest should handle political and humanitarian issues.

Nemo’s act adds to a growing wave of artistic protest surrounding Israel’s presence at major cultural events. Over the past year, petitions from European artists, activists and fan groups have called for the EBU to reconsider its stance, arguing that participation from a nation involved in an active military campaign contradicts the spirit of unity that Eurovision seeks to promote. Whether the EBU will alter its position remains uncertain, but the controversy has already ensured that next year’s contest will unfold under heightened scrutiny.

 Featured Image Credits: Arkland

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ has confirmed that it will neither send an act nor air the show, arguing that taking part would be incompatible with its responsibilities as a public service broadcaster during an ongoing conflict in which civilians are suffering heavily. They released a statement saying that their participation “remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza”. Spain’s RTVE, traditionally one of the key funding pillars of Eurovision, has echoed those concerns, stating that it cannot justify participation. At the same time, Israel is allowed to compete under the current circumstances. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros and RTV Slovenia have issued similar statements, formally aligning themselves with the boycott and stressing that their decisions are directed at states and institutions rather than individual performers.

Broadcasters behind the boycott point primarily to the war in Gaza, highlighting high civilian casualties, the humanitarian crisis and repeated calls from rights groups for stronger international pressure on Israel. They argue that sharing a stage with Israel in what is framed as a celebratory entertainment event risks normalising the conflict and undermining their own stance on human rights and international law. Some executives and commentators have also referred to earlier allegations about irregularities or possible unfair influence in Eurovision voting, saying these disputes have made it harder to claim that the contest is fully detached from political agendas.

The boycotts are not a first for the competition. In 1969, the UK, Spain, France and the Netherlands were declared joint winners after all securing 18 points. In response, Finland, Portugal, Norway and Sweden boycotted the contest the following year. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, introduced a tiebreak rule a year later. Another more politically motivated boycott was in 1975 and 1976, when Greece and Turkey boycotted the event after Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974.

The EBU has defended the decision to allow Israel to participate, describing the contest as a competition between independent broadcasters rather than between governments. The EBU points to planned voting reforms, including a stronger role for professional juries and stricter general oversight, as evidence that it is addressing concerns about fairness while keeping the event open to all eligible members. Major broadcasters such as the BBC and Austria’s ORF have publicly supported Israel’s continued participation, warning that exclusions based on foreign policy would politicise the event even further and could trigger boycotts in the opposite direction, deepening divisions in the Eurovision community.

Featured image credits: MrSilesian