Artists Unite to Boycott Eurovision Over Israel's Participation
Hundreds of artists, including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, and Kneecap, have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel's participation amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The No Music for Genocide campaign, which previously rallied artists to remove their music from Israeli streaming services, has issued an open letter urging a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest. This action is in response to the contest's decision to allow Israel to compete.
Signatories of the letter include Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Kneecap, Idles, Sigur Rós, Erika de Casier, Dry Cleaning, Mogwai, Macklemore, Primal Scream, Hot Chip, Smerz, and Black Country, New Road, among hundreds of others. The letter highlights that Israel is being "celebrated onstage despite its ongoing genocide in Gaza, while Russia remains banned for its illegal invasion of Ukraine."
The letter calls upon "public broadcasters, performers, screening party organizers, crew, and fans" to boycott the contest until the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) bans Israeli broadcaster KAN. "We refuse to be silent when Israel’s genocidal violence soundtracks and silences Palestinian lives," the letter states, emphasizing the dire situation in Gaza, where cultural institutions have been destroyed.
The letter also notes that broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands have withdrawn in protest of Israel's inclusion. The letter concludes, "As artists, we recognise our collective agency—and the power of refusal. We refuse to be silent. We refuse to be complicit." This action supports the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, which has advocated for a Eurovision boycott since 2024.
Kneecap stated: "Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022. Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide—and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage. That’s not neutrality. That’s a choice." They added, "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."
Last year, Caribou, Hayley Williams, Dry Cleaning, Lorde, and Björk, among others, participated in the No Music for Genocide streaming embargo, geo-blocking their music in Israel.
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