Britain’s Mae Muller and Bianca Nicholas joined Charlie McGettigan, Salvador Sobral and dozens of former Eurovision contestants in calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel’s public broadcaster KAN from the popular song contest.
Over 70 previous participants, who include songwriters, lyricists and other creatives from across Europe, accuse KAN of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza”.
In a letter published below ahead of the Eurovision finals on May 17, the artists say “by continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes”.
It comes as Iceland’s broadcaster has joined Slovenia and Spain in opposing Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
“I believe that the Israeli government has been and is inflicting genocide on the people of Palestine and for that reason Israel should be barred from competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest,” said Charlie McGettigan, who won the competition for Ireland in 1994.
The letter states that last year’s decision to include KAN and granting “total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists” made the 2024 edition “the most politicized and unpleasant in the competition’s history”. The result was “disastrous”, the letter says.
The signatories include Gåte, the Norwegian band derided by the Israeli broadcaster in 2024 as “sons and daughters of Amalek” (a biblical reference invoked by Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised call to destroy Palestinians in Gaza).
“We were there. We saw what happened. We spoke to the EBU about it,” Gåte said.
The letter accuses the EBU of double-standards regarding Israel. It points to the decision in 2022 to expel Russia’s public broadcaster, a decision which the EBU said was based on the rules of the event and the values of the broadcasting union.
“[It] can’t be one rule for Russia and a completely different rule for Israel. You bomb, you’re out,” said Thea Garrett, who represented Malta in 2010.
The letter signatories say they “refuse to allow music to be used to whitewash crimes against humanity” and they urge EBU to “act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival”.
The Israeli public broadcaster repeatedly made offensive and derogatory comments towards other countries’ participants during its live broadcast of the 2024 contest.
Eran Cicurel, a KAN editor, has admitted that Eurovision “has long been more than just a musical event; it is a critical arena for Israeli advocacy”.
Last week the International Court of Justice in The Hague opened proceedings on Israel’s obligations to the United Nations in relation to its occupation of Palestinian territories, which is illegal under international law.
* photos show: La Zarra; Salvador Sobral; Mae Muller; Charlie McGettigan.
READ THE LETTER IN FULL
We, the undersigned former Eurovision participants, urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. KAN is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.
We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity. Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza broadcast live for the world to see. The result was disastrous.
Rather than acknowledging the widespread criticism and reflecting on its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down — granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists and delegations, making the 2024 edition the most politicized, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history.
Silence is not an option. When authoritarian movements and the far-right are on the rise around the globe, our duty to speak out has only become more pressing. We therefore join together to state that the EBU’s complicity with Israel’s genocide must stop.
By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes. The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.
We stand in solidarity with this year’s contestants and condemn the EBU’s repeated refusal to take responsibility.
As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.
FULL LIST OF SIGNATORIES
| Artist | Band (or actual full name) | Category | Country | Year(s) |
| Hersi | Hersi Matmuja | Artist (contestant) | Albania | 2014 |
| Montaigne | Jessica Alyssa Cerro | Artist (contestant) | Australia | 2021 |
| Nino | Vahidin-Nino Pršeš | Artist (contestant) | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2001 |
| Alma Čardžic | Artist (contestant) | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1994 ,1997 | |
| Almir Ajanović | Songwriter | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2016 | |
| Amila Glamočak | Artist (contestant) | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1996 | |
| Anita Välimaa | Anita Välimaa | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Finland | 1984, -85, -86, -89, -91, -92, -93 |
| Jukka Välimaa | Jukka Välimaa | Lyricist | Finland | 1991 |
| Kaija Kärkinen | Kaija Kärkinen | Artist (contestant) | Finland | 1991 |
| Kati Bergman | Kati Bergman | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Finland | 1986 |
| Linda Ilves | Linda Ilves | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Finland | 2016 |
| Outi Popp | Outi Popp | Commentator | Finland | 1993 |
| Samuli Kosminen | Samuli Kosminen | Artist (contestant) | Finland | 1998 |
| Samuli Laine | Samuli Laine | Other (specify) | Finland | 2007 |
| Sanna Kojo | Sanna Kojo | Commentator | Finland | 1993-2013 |
| Timo Kiiskinen | Timo Kiiskinen | Songwriter | Finland | 2010 |
| La Zarra | Fatima Zahra Hafdi | Artist (contestant) | France | 2023 |
| Jessy matador | Kimbangi jessy | Artist (contestant) | France | 2010 |
| Mariline | Marolany | Artist (contestant) | France | 1998 |
| Sylvia Night | Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2006 |
| Ásdís María | Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir | Songwriter | Iceland | 2024 |
| Árný Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir | Daði & Gagnamagnið | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2021 |
| Daði Freyr Pétursson | Daði & Gagnamagnið | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2021 |
| Hulda Kristín Kolbrúnardóttir | Daði & Gagnamagnið | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2021 |
| Daníel Ágúst | Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 1989 |
| Eyþór Ingi | Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2007 |
| Andrean Sigurgeirsson | Hatari | Dancer | Iceland | 2019 |
| Ástrós Guðjónsdóttir | Hatari | Dancer | Iceland | 2019 |
| Einar Hrafn Stefánsson | Hatari | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2019 |
| Klemens Hannigan | Hatari | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2019 |
| Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson | Hatari | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2019 |
| Sólbjört Sigurðardóttir | Hatari | Dancer | Iceland | 2019 |
| Lay Low | Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir | Songwriter | Iceland | 2022 |
| Paul Oscar | Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 1997 |
| Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson | Pollapönk | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2014 |
| Óttarr Proppé | Pollapönk | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Iceland | 2014 |
| Svala | Svala Björgvinsdóttir | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2017 |
| Elín Eyþórsdóttir | Systur | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2022 |
| Elísabet Eyþórsdóttir | Systur | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2022 |
| Sigríður Eyþórsdóttir | Systur | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2022 |
| Andri Hrafn Unnarsson | Other (specify) | Iceland | 2019 | |
| Björn Thors | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Iceland | 2006 | |
| Eiríkur Hauksson | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 1986, 2007 | |
| Gaukur Úlfarsson | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Iceland | 2006 | |
| Greta Salóme | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 2016 | |
| Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 1993 | |
| Karen Briem | Other (specify) | Iceland | 2019 | |
| Kristjana Stefánsdóttir | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Iceland | 2010 | |
| Pálmi Gunnarsson | Artist (contestant) | Iceland | 1986 | |
| Sigurður Örn Jónsson | Lyricist | Iceland | 2000 | |
| Charlie McGettigan | Charles Joseph McGettigan | Artist (contestant) | Ireland | 1994 |
| Mickey Harte | Mickey Joe Harte | Artist (contestant) | Ireland | 2003 |
| Brian Kennedy | Artist (contestant) | Ireland | 2006 | |
| Mark Caplice | Songwriter | Ireland | 2018 | |
| Martin Dunlea | The Missing Passengers | Artist (contestant) | Ireland | 1989 |
| Amber | Amber Bondin | Artist (contestant) | Malta | 2015 |
| Thea Garrett | Thea Falzon Garrett | Artist (contestant) | Malta | 2010 |
| Glen Vella | Artist (contestant) | Malta | 2011 | |
| GÅTE | Artist (contestant) | Norway | 2024 | |
| António Calvário | António Calvário da Paz | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 1964 |
| Lena d’Água | Helena Águas | Backing (vocal, instrument or other) | Portugal | 1978 |
| Celina da Piedade | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 2011,2017 | |
| Paulo de Carvalho | Manuel Paulo de Carvalho Costa | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 1974, 1977 |
| Rita Reis | Nonstop (Ana Rita Reis) | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 2006 |
| Fernando Tordo | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 1973, 1977 | |
| Salvador Sobral | Artist (contestant) | Portugal | 2017 | |
| Alexandra Craescu | Artist (contestant) | Romania | 2017 | |
| Filip Vidušin | LPS | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2022 |
| Gašper Hlupič | LPS | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2022 |
| Martin Mutec | LPS | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2022 |
| Zala Velenšek | LPS | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2022 |
| Žiga Žvižej | LPS | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2022 |
| Zala Kralj | Zala Kralj | Artist (contestant) | Slovenia | 2019 |
| Blanca Paloma | Blanca Paloma Ramos Baeza | Artist (contestant) | Spain | 2023 |
| Rykka | Moon Löffler | Artist (contestant) | Switzerland | 2016 |
| Hadise | Hadise Açıkgöz | Artist (contestant) | Turkey | 2009 |
| Bianca Nicholas | Electro Velvet | Artist (contestant) | UK | 2015 |
| Mae Muller | Holly Muller | Artist (contestant) | UK | 2023 |
Artists for Palestine UK 
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