Prominent musicians, including Massive Attack, Kneecap, Brian Eno, Sigur Rós, Nadine Shah, and others, have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the upcoming Eurovision in protest against Israel's participation.
The No Music For Genocide campaign and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel are calling for a boycott of this year's highly controversial Eurovision Song Contest.
More than a thousand artists, including Massive Attack, Kneecap, Brian Eno, Sigur Rós, Nadine Shah, Mogwai, and Hot Chip, have signed an open letter urging a boycott of the 2026 Eurovision in protest against Israel's participation.
In the letter, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is urged to exclude KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, from the list of participants in the upcoming contest.
"For the third year in a row," the letter states, "Israel will be celebrated on stage despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, while Russia remains banned for its illegal invasion of Ukraine."
"We refuse to remain silent while Israel's genocidal violence becomes the soundtrack that drowns out the lives of Palestinians," the letter continues. "When children in Israeli prisons are beaten for humming a tune. When almost every stage, studio, bookstore, and university in Gaza lies in ruins, under which the bodies of the dead still wait to be retrieved and buried with dignity."
In a statement, a representative of No Music For Genocide said: "Concerned people around the world are fighting against complicity in every sector of the industry – for a free Palestine and a freer world. And while many of us in the music sphere scoff at Eurovision or doubt our own power as cultural figures, the leaders of genocidal Israel openly speak of the geopolitical significance of the contest."
The organizers welcomed the decision of five countries – Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland – to withdraw from this year's contest, as well as "many national selection finalists who have stated they will not go to Eurovision."
They later added: "As artists, we recognize our collective subjectivity and the power of refusal. We refuse to remain silent. We refuse to be complicit. We call on other representatives of our industry to join us and express solidarity with all principled efforts aimed at ending complicity across all sectors."
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The EBU has repeatedly defended its decision to allow Israel to participate in Eurovision despite accusations of double standards. In 2022, the organization disqualified Russia from the contest following its invasion of Ukraine, and that ban remains in effect.
Kneecap stated: "Russia was disqualified from Eurovision in 2022. For the third year in a row, Israel is welcomed back on stage. This is not neutrality. This is a choice."
Israel consistently rejects accusations of genocide in Gaza. However, in September 2025, a UN investigation concluded that Israel is committing genocide.
"Eurovision" is the largest music event in the world: last year it was watched by 166 million viewers. The controversial 70th contest will take place this year in Vienna, Austria, with the final scheduled for May 16, 2026.
