'Integrity costs something': Eurovision winners want Israel out of the contest

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Eurovision winners are advocating for Israel's removal from the contest, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Multiple artists and national broadcasters have joined the call for a boycott as they argue political issues cannot be ignored.

'Integrity costs something': Eurovision winners want Israel out of the contest Alex MacDonald on Wed, 05/06/2026 - 14:43 Former champions call for boycott of event over 'catastrophe' in Gaza and say show cannot be separated from political reality 2013 Eurovision winner, Danish singer Emmelie de Forest, performs on stage during the song contest 2014 Grand Final in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 10 May 2014 (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP) Off The organisers of the Eurovision song contest have always maintained that they want to keep politics out of the event. In practice, however, politics has always played a major role, with rows over international affairs, human rights and domestic unrest popping up each year. The 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal that overthrew the country's dictatorship and led to independence for its African colonies was sparked off by the airing of Portugal's Eurovision entry for that year, E depois do adeus ("And After the Farewell"), by Paulo de Carvalho. In 2009, authorities in Azerbaijan interrogated 43 people after they voted for Armenia's entry in the contest that year, while Ukraine and Russia regularly jibed at each other over the latter's invasion until Russia was expelled in 2022. But arguably the biggest political controversy in the contest has been around Israel's participation since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "For me, this is first and foremost about the devastating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the enormous loss of civilian lives," Emmelie de Forest, winner of the 2013 Eurovision song contest, told Middle East Eye. "But it’s also about what it means when cultural institutions try to completely separate themselves from political reality. I don’t think music exists outside the world around us." The Danish singer, who won at the age of 20 with the song Only Teardrops, is one of a number of Eurovision stars who have publicly opposed Israel's inclusion in the 2026 contest in Vienna. Demonstration against Israel's candidate prior to the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May 2025 (AFP) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); National broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have already said they would not be participating, while many musicians and campaigners have urged others to pull out from the event. Emmelie de Forest was one of more than 1,000 artists who signed the No Music For Genocide petition calling for a Eurovision boycott, alongside the Irish 1994 Eurovision winner, Charlie McGettigan, as well as Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Bjork, Macklemore, Mogwai, Brian Eno and many others. Unlike McGettigan's country, Forest's home of Denmark is participating in the contest, something she found disappointing, but not entirely surprising. She told MEE that she had stopped talking to friends and risked her income by speaking out, but said "sometimes integrity costs something". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "What I find most difficult is the idea that Eurovision can somehow be separated entirely from political reality. I simply don’t believe that is possible anymore. "Keeping Israel in the competition is also a political decision." The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the event, ruled in December that Israel could take part in Eurovision despite pressure at the body's General Assembly to hold a vote on the issue. Returning trophies Nemo, the 2024 Swiss winner, said they would be returning their award in response to the ruling, stating that while Eurovision claimed it stood for "unity, inclusion and dignity for all", Israel's inclusion conflicted with those aims. 'Some countries just see this as entertainment and they don't see entertainment as having any place for politics - but I do' - Charlie McGettigan, 1994 winner The 1994 Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan told MEE that he also had intended to return his trophy following Nemo's example - until his wife pointed out he hadn't actually been given a physical trophy. "So let's say I returned a virtual trophy!" he said. McGettigan was the third Irish Eurovision contestant to win the top slot in a row - sparking rumours that the cost of hosting the event was worrying state broadcaster RTE to the extent they did not actually want him to win. An avid Eurovision fan since childhood, it was with a heavy heart that he petitioned RTE to withdraw from the 2026 contest, alongside pro-Palestine campaigners, successfully convincing the broadcaster. "I'm a not a member of any organisation...it's just me personally, and thankfully, the management at RTE decided after a vote that they weren't going to take part and that's admirable, I think," he said. Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan performing in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 (RTE)