More than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers have signed an open letter calling on fans, performers, broadcasters, and hosts to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, condemning the event. “whitewash” and to justify Israel “genocide” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Eurovision is an annual televised song contest run by the European Broadcasting Union. The event has long billed itself as a non-political festival, but it has frequently become the center of conflict, identity, and the cultural messages it evokes.
“This May, millions of people are expected to attend the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. For the third year in a row, they will find Israel celebrated on stage despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” reads a letter published by the No Music For Genocide campaign. “As musicians and cultural workers … we refuse Eurovision to be used to whitewash and justify Israel’s genocide, siege and brutal military occupation against the Palestinians.”
Among the notable signatories are Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Sigur Rós, Idles, Mogwai, Macklemore, Kneecap, Primal Scream, Hot Chip, and Of Monsters and Men – as well as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and former Eurovision winners Emmelie de Forest and Charlie McGettigan.
The campaign has praised several national broadcasters, including those in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands, for threatening to boycott or already withdrawing from Israel’s inclusion. Meanwhile, the BBC supported the decision to allow Israel to participate, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying he would support Berlin pulling out of Eurovision if Israel is excluded, citing the debate. “slander.”
The letter further explains that the organizers are using a clear double standard by keeping Israel in the competition while Russia remains banned indefinitely after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has responded by reviving Intervision, a Soviet-era alternative designated by the Kremlin as more controversial. “traditional values” non-political music competitions and “distortion.”
Eurovision has been embroiled in numerous scandals over seemingly over-sexualized performances and themes since Austrian actress Conchita Wurst won the 2014 contest, in what was hailed as an LGBT victory. The competition has also faced accusations of bias, with critics arguing that voting patterns often reflect political affiliations, cultural similarities, or historical ties rather than the musical quality of the entries.
