Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, after Israel was allowed to compete.
They were among a number of countries who had called for Israel to be excluded over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, and accusations of unfair voting practices.
Despite calls for a vote on Israel’s participation, members instead approved a new set of rules intended to protect the integrity of the contest.
Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE said it felt that its “participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”
In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that “participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us”.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: “The board of directors of RTVE agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was part of it.”
“This withdrawal also means that RTVE will not broadcast the Eurovision 2026 final… nor the preliminary semi-finals.”
Continue reading here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cde6d8wyp79o
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The fact that this was up for debate, the fact that there are countries that choose to boycott as a result, the fact that this is news: these are wins people. The cracks have formed and it’s starting to buckle. It is now normal and mainstream to talk about boycotting the genocidal Israeli apartheid regime. Even the German apartheid-apologist institutions are forced to say they respect the decisions of non-apologist ones. Don’t take this as reason for cynicism and disappointment, it’s quite the opposite! Apartheid South Africa didn’t get boycotted, isolated and forced to recon with its crimes all at once, it was a process. KEEP PUSHING!
israel is NOT even in europe. seriously!
We have the same discussion every year and the European Broadcast Union is not restricted to countries in Europe.
At least it’s in the vicinity, unlike Australia.
Eurovision is not for Europe, it’s for channels subscribed to the European Broadcast Union
Which includes Australia (in fact they’re the biggest customer outside of continental EU)
Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia should make their own Eurovision
With hookers, and blackjack!
Forget about the euro vision and the blackjack
The main sponsor of the show, Moroccanoil, is an Israeli company. This was obvious.
Moroccan Oil is an Israeli company?
Yeah they make hair products.
🇵🇸 #FREEPALESTINE 🇵🇸 #FREEPALESTINE 🇵🇸 #FREEPALESTINE 🇵🇸
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we need an alternative to eurovision, and fast. seriously!
You forgot the “from Hamas” part.
Hamas only exists in gaza, the rest of Palestine is free from Hamas
That’s demonstrably false. Remind me where the leaders of Hamas are right now?
I think you have intelligence to share with us. Where are they then? Demonstrate us, give us their addresses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaders_of_Hamas
You can read all about it here. It’s under tke “Location” section.
There’s no information there about their current whereabouts in that article. Not even one mention of west bank. Have you read before sending it?
Who said anything about the west bank? You need to stay on target mate.
Heres the relevant excerpt:
Hamas’s political leadership has resided in Doha, Qatar, since 2012, in an arrangement supported by the United States. In 2024, Hamas explored moving its political headquarters to another country, such as Oman, amidst pressure from the United States and Israel over Qatar’s failure to use its leverage with Hamas to facilitate a ceasefire deal to the Gaza war.
The previous chairman, Yahya Sinwar, led Hamas from Gaza Strip, Palestine, since he also led the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar was the first chairman of Hamas Political Bureau to reside in Gaza Strip, doing so while the Gaza war was ongoing. The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau usually lived outside the Gaza Strip, due to the security reasons.
So according to this, the current leadership resides in Qatar (which is outside of the Gaza Strip and the west bank). Furthermore, Yahya Sinwar is the first head Hamas terrorists to reside in the Gaza Strip. So in the past and future Hamas was and still is not all in The Gaza Strip.
Ok Zionist — Remind us of the US’s role and the part of the article that says these guys aren’t involved in military operations?
Please make sense before you reply to people.
Ok Zionist — Remind us why Hamas exists?
Go read their charter.
In one reply you’re calling me an idiot and in another you’re telling me to read something? Is this inconsistency in mental models of the world the reason Zionists think they’re right (and the victims) when oppressing, conducting war and genocide, and being generally inhumane?
It’s obvious Hamas exists because of oppression. That is the root cause. Everything else is just a consequence. Some of these consequences are wrong — but the root cause is certain.
That’s step 2
Removed by mod
Ok Zionist
The boycotting countries should stay in and sing about how israeli’s are genocidal murderers.
Political songs are not allowed
Except for all those times when Israel made songs about heroically blowing up children
Can you name any examples of that?
all art is political. making non political art is just slop production.
I hope more broadcasters drop out. Either it’ll force their hand to expel all genocidal nations or make Eurovision a joke and viewership crashes.
So European countries are dropping out while the non European Israel can continue.
Mmmmm, one wonders how that happened. One also wonders if these people that decided to boycott Eurovision over this are antisemitesor just people with a heart.
Fuck the Israeli government.
Jail Netanyahu, retreat all your forces back into Israel, allow an independent Palestinian state, pay reparations to Palestine state, beg all Palestinians forgiveness for your 5+ decades crimes, then beg the world for forgiveness for calling everyone that protested their crimes and antisemite, and then maybe maybe maybe they should be allowed back into the world.
I think its great that countries are excluding themselves on this basis.
However, im not surprised that the contest has remained agnostic and that israel has not withdrawn.
We will not be watching and I’ll be sharing all the better alternatives to it. Like not supporting murder, genocide, state supported rapes, starving children, burning aid and many many more.
Honestly, I want to watch the alternatives, but don’t know of them, got any recommendations?
Unfortunately with how the Dutch public broadcasting system works Eurovision wil still be broadcasted in the Netherlands. AVROTROS is an independent public broadcasting organization however it broadcasts it’s programming via the NPO the Dutch public broadcasting governing body. And NPO is also a member of EBU so the next Eurovision will be broadcasted by the NPO.
Boooo!
Rubbish! Slime! Muck! Filth! Booo!
I can’t boycott the Eurovision, I’ve never watched it
This added nothing to the discussion
not really a discussion if I agree.
It’s kind of the problem with Lemmy sometimes.
some people are so traumatised from internet conversations they get all defensive about anything. like chill, I was agreeing with you
Not OP. I was agreeing with you, haha.
screw you, I’m agreeing with you and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Ah yes, Israel, the European
countrysettler colonialist state.
