Is Eurovision Going Down in Flames?

Photo Credit: Jacek Dylag

Over a thousand artists call to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s inclusion, while another thousand push back. Five countries have quit the contest.

With just weeks to go before the 2026 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest kicks off in Vienna, Austria, five countries have dropped out in protest of Israel’s continued participation. At the same time, over a thousand artists have signed an open letter calling for the boycott of the contest unless Israel withdraws. But another thousand artists have pushed back, rejecting boycott efforts and doubling down on their support for the country’s inclusion.

Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973 and has won the contest four times. However, in the past year—particularly following Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael’s second-place finish in 2025, which some have alleged was the result of rule-breaking—calls for boycott have ramped up. Notably, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing, but instituted rule changes in response to intensifying criticism of Israel.

“For the third consecutive year,” states the open letter from the No Music for Genocide campaign, Israel will be “celebrated onstage despite its ongoing genocide in Gaza, while Russia remains banned for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

The letter calls for “public broadcasters, performers, screening party organizers, crew, and fans” to boycott the contest until the EBU, which runs Eurovision, bans Israeli broadcaster KAN.

Broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands have pulled out in protest of Israel’s inclusion, the letter points out. “We refused to be silent. We refused to be complicit,” the letter concludes.

The letter has been signed by artists including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Kneecap, Idles, Sigur Ros, Erika de Casier, Dry Cleaning, Mogwai, Macklemore, Primal Scream, Hot Chip, Smerz, Black Country, New Road, and hundreds more.

Last year, Caribou, Hayley Williams, Dry Cleaning, Lorde, Björk, and more also participated in the No Music for Genocide streaming embargo, which aimed to geo-block their music from streaming services in Israel.

Meanwhile, over a thousand entertainment industry figures have rejected boycott efforts and have signed an open letter by the non-profit organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), backing Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision.

The CCFP letter was issued in response to the No Music for Genocide campaign’s own that called for the EBU to exclude Israel from the event. Signatories of the CCFP letter include Boy George, Gene Simmons, Matisyahu, David Draiman, James Maslow, Diane Warren, Jon Ondrasik, Laurent Amir Haddad, and Noah Kirel. Other music industry figures, including Scooter Braun and Sharon Osbourne, have also signed this letter.

“We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the contest,” the letter notes. “We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music.”

“Across the entertainment industry, we are witnessing an alarming rise in shameful efforts to ostracize Israelis and those who support Israel, actions that do nothing to advance peace or understanding,” said CCFP’s chairman, David Renzer, and executive director, Ari Ingel.

British singer and former Culture Club frontman Boy George, who signed the CCFP letter, reaffirmed his support for the Jewish community, releasing a statement that he still intends to perform at the song contest in Vienna next month.

“Are people asking me, as a principled human being, to turn my back on my Jewish friends?” the musician said. “It’s not going to happen. It’s never going to happen,” he added, concluding that “the job of music is to unite people.”