4 countries to boycott Eurovision due to Israel’s continued inclusion

Why do you think David Lammy is qualified to say whether it’s a genocide or not? Is he a genocide scholar? Is he more qualified than Raz Segal, an associate professor of Holocaust and Genocide studies and an Israeli citizen who has explicitly argued that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a textbook case of genocide? Thought not.

Thank you for your sneering tone. I wouldn't put blind faith in any of those organisations, no. They have their own political biases. As an unrelated example, Amnesty don't believe women should have single sex spaces.

I would be more inclined to say it was genocide if the UK government did, but they haven't.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/09/uk-not-concluded-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-lammy-says

Tell us how you are qualified to tell all the international organisations that have ruled that this is a genocide that they are wrong? What information do you think you have access to that they don’t?

It’s not a genocide and saying it is over and over again doesn’t make it true.

People can talk about Britain's historical blood on their hands all they want.

As long as British people that are innocent of any of that wrongdoing are not being excluded from events.

Britain for example, true history being taught, would dredge up a lot of historical blood on their hands but lets not talk about that.

That's certainly possible - it was hard to see their relevance. And of course I'm aware that most posters, whatever their position, weren't adopting this angle.

No, you are misunderstanding the points being made.

That's right, and that's the point. No one's suggesting such a thing because dredging up past offences by countries that are taking action now, as some posters have done on this thread, is clearly a false equivalent and an attempted distraction.

Noones suggesting such a thing. Good grief.

I don't want anyone anywhere to lobby to boycott Eurovision. Because it's a singing show, it's supposed to be fun, and actually if we're talking about questionable actors we'd need to remove pretty much everyone in it.

If British people want to lobby for the BBC to boycott Eurovision based on human rights issues or atrocities several decades ago in Spain, Ireland or anywhere else, I'm sure they are welcome to do so.

But people rarely feel the same urgency about dealing with historical issues because they'll just be condemning, not trying to bring pressure for change. They'll also, very often, be sitting in glass houses throwing stones. So I doubt you'll get much public support for it.

AFD is a worrying example of how these things can gather pace. It was initially Eurosceptic and actually I think with good reason - Germany's economy did take a blow from the way the Euro was introduced, in favour of countries that couldn't get a hold of their own internal affairs. But AFD were dismissed as being too inward looking and nationalistic - again, totally get why citizens born into such a complicated legacy would be wary of this. But in failing to address what were at the time fairly moderate concerns Merkel and others inadvertently fomented discontent and made space for a more radical message to insert itself ... and now they are definitely and unapologetically far right, and riding high in the polls.

The founder left the party years ago and spends his time talking to anyone who will listen about the dangers of disaffection and how he has seen his erstwhile organisation transform into a quasi-fascist and terrifyingly popular legion.

What on earth are you talking about?

Who is tarring everyone with the same brush? I judge antisemitism on a case by case basis. Its not a default position. Its based on evidence. Im not justifying anything on the basis of religion, nationality or creed but on what people say and what they do. There are antisemites of every nationality, religion and creed. Literally nobody accuses someone 'standing up for innocence' of being antisemitic. They accuse people who say and do antisemitic things of being antisemitic.

and England @SharonEllis
Locking up women in these institutions started in the mid 18th century

Then there’s imprisonment without trial introduced by Maggie Thatcher
The murder of innocents by the British on a peace March in Derry in 1972

shall we go on
What about slavery

someone mentioned stones and glass houses how true

Well let me be very clear. I am sick to the back teeth of seeing anyone justify the killing of ANY child - in Gaza, in Sudan, anywhere.
I’m also sick of being accused of being antisemitic or racist for standing up for them.
Children the same age as my own left in completely intolerable situations through no fault of their own.
Grown women (I’m assuming) on MN finding their way of justifying it because of their religion, nationality or creed or somehow they deserved it because their country is run by a terrorist organisation. It is such a bloody kick for the default position to be “oh you hate Jewish people” for standing up for innocence. Yes - I don’t doubt there are people like that - of course there are and it’s not fair and it needs to stop. But can we please stop tarring everyone with the same brush.

Well said.