Boycotting Eurovision is long overdue
Another year of Eurovision and another year of being complicit in the actions of a genocidal apartheid state
In January 2024, déi aner contributor Andréa Oldereide addressed the Eurovision controversy and Luxembourg’s reentry after a 30-year absence. She wrote:
“There are many problematic aspects of this announcement that we could unpack, starting with the fact that the EBU didn’t hesitate to ban Russia from competing in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine.
In other words, with power and will, you can stop an aggressor from partaking in ‘fun activities’ in our society—such as the Olympic Games or the Eurovision Song Contest.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, killing more than 22,000 civilians in the span of two years is simply not enough for the EBU to take such actions against Israel. Their banning criteria remain blurry, we must admit.”
These words, unfortunately, ring even truer today. More than two years have passed, and despite the horrors of war crimes and genocide, Israel remains in the competition. The EBU’s inaction is inexcusable.
This year, five countries, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Iceland, are boycotting the contest because of Israel’s participation. They cite, as the reason, the genocidal war waged by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza, which has claimed at least 72,740 lives so far. But, the numbers are expected to be much higher.
Yet Luxembourg, for the third year in a row, has decided that genocide and war crimes are not enough to justify a boycott. The country continues to remain complicit, lacking the courage to stand up for what is right and just. Amnesty Luxembourg released a statement on Instagram criticizing the complicity in genocide of the ESC. The organization included a quote by the secretary general of Amnesty Luxembourg that mentions the cowardice of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to not suspend Israel.
“The fact that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) did not suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is a sign of a certain cowardice and illustrates a double standard when it comes to Israel.”
Queer solidarity against genocide
Even Rosa Lëtzebuerg has finally decided not to organize a watch party for the Eurovision, a tradition they upheld for years. This shift shows that it is never too late to do the right thing. In a statement on Instagram, they explained:
“According to a UN commission of inquiry, the situation meets four out of five criteria associated with genocide against the Palestinian people. […] For the Board, this inconsistency is not compatible with the values we aim to uphold as a safe space.”
Israel also exploits Eurovision as an opportunity to pinkwash its livestreamed genocide against Palestinians and its apartheid regime. This tactic has been widely recognised by queers, trans artists, activists, and organisations, many of whom support the boycott. Over 140 LGBTQ+ groups from more than 30 countries have backed the Palestinian call to boycott Eurovision, while queer icons like Nemo, the nonbinary Swiss winner of Eurovision 2024, have returned their trophies in protest.
The fight for Palestinian justice is central to many social justice movements, uniting queer and trans communities, thousands of artists, and millions of fans in rejecting Eurovision’s role in whitewashing genocide.
Broadcaster complicity
The Israeli broadcaster KAN is deeply complicit, not just in whitewashing, but in actively justifying Israel’s ongoing, livestreamed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Its entire regime of oppression against the Palestinian people is enabled and amplified by this media outlet. KAN presenters have dedicated missiles to Palestinians in Gaza, while many of their guests have openly called for war crimes and genocide.
It is also critical to highlight that Luxembourg’s national broadcaster, RTL, has collaborated with Avoxvision for Eurovision, a company complicit in the Gaza genocide by producing content for songs that openly encourage the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinian people. One such song, Harbu Darbu, includes lyrics like:
“Because every dog gets what he deserves in the end. Wait ‘til we rain down a storm on you, you fuckers.”
This is not the only issue. Two years ago, Tali, Luxembourg’s Eurovision candidate, openly supported the state of Israel, of which she is a “citizen”, while it was committing war crimes. Her brother was an IDF soldier present in Gaza during the massacre, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians were murdered and Gaza was razed to the ground.
Luxembourg’s Eurovision Counter Party
This year, however, the boycott movement, launched by Palestinians in 2024, has taken a significant step further. In addition to boycotting the ESC, collectives déi aner, Megaphone, BDS Luxembourg, and Waassermeloun have organized a Eurovision Counter Party. This event offers an alternative for those who refuse to watch the ESC, providing a platform for art and solidarity.
In fact, the Palestinian-led campaign has been supported by thousands of artists since 2024, most recently by more than 1,100 musicians, including leading figures like Brian Eno, Paloma Faith, Massive Attack, Macklemore, Peter Gabriel, and former Eurovision winners like Emmelie de Forest.
The Eurovision Counter Party will spotlight Luxembourg’s incredible local talents, including pirreira (formerly Culture the Kid), Shani Baby, NINON, Luka Tonnar, ÆM, and Oke, who are using their voices to take a stand. The lineup is further enriched by two visiting Palestinian artists, SAWT and Omar Disku, as well as the local DJ collective Chainsmokers and DJs His Fable and Waters.
Eurovision Counter Party Poster
This Counter Party aligns with the No Music for Genocide letter, a global petition signed by nearly a thousand artists. Luxembourg’s creative community is no exception, with artists like Turnup Tun, Francis of Delirium, Maale Gars, and NINON publicly endorsing the cause. Among them, artists like Maz Universe, Adriano Selva, and Edsun, former ESC contestants, have also signed the petition.
Even Irem, one of this year’s contest’s finalists, supports Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision. In an interview with RTL Today, she said:
“Ideally, I’d like Eurovision to have nothing to do with politics, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. I think especially at Eurovision we see that it really is political. And precisely because of that, Israel should be banned. I am also 100% of the opinion that Israel should not be taking part.”
“Alternative, genocide-free Eurovision events are taking place all across Europe, including in Luxembourg.The growing consensus among fans is evident: Eurovision organisers have tarnished the contest just to protect genocidal Israel. Meanwhile, the mainstream media in the colonial west forget to mention Palestinian lives in their reports about the tensions around the ESC,” said Maysan Qasem from BDS Luxembourg.
By signing this petition and participating in the Counter Party, Luxembourg’s talented youth and alternative communities are making a clear political statement against their country’s participation in an event that overlooks ongoing genocide. This Counter Party is more than a celebration; it’s a commitment to justice, solidarity, and the power of art as a force for change.
