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

[Everexpanding]

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said it would also withdraw from next year’s contest. “After weighing all perspectives, Avrotros concludes that, under the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation.”

The Slovenian national broadcaster, RTVSLO – the first to threaten a boycott this summer – said participation “would conflict with its values of peace, equality and respect”.

Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, backed the decision, adding: “You can’t whitewash Israel given the genocide in Gaza. Culture should be on the side of peace and justice. I’m proud of an RTVE that puts human rights before any economic interest

RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/04/ireland-spain-and-the-netherlands-to-boycott-eurovision-2026-as-israel-cleared-to-compete

Calling Spain fascist for a regime imposed more than 80 years ago (do you know what dictatorship means?) shows a serious misunderstanding of its history and current democratic reality.

Given the issue with Israel taking part in the eurovision has only arisen in the past 2 years while they have been slaughtering people at an astonishing rate I would say it is the past 2 years that those countries find unconscionable.

Irelands statement "RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk. RTÉ remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory."

That's not using every single aspect as point scoring. It's fair criticism of Israels current actions.

Franco didn't act alone. Spain's time would be better spent finding out where its own bodies are buried and trying to work out who walked off with which child when it falsified all those birth records, rather than grandstanding about singing shows.

Show me one post, just one, in which I mention Israel. My only point is that you cannot imply a country and its population are fascist simply because they endured a dictatorship. Spain is now a democratic country, and its people are fortunate to be able to make their own choices, even if you don’t like or support them.

Absolutely it is.... Ms Rachel a children's presenter is currently being attacked for having the temerity of saying killing children is wrong. A particularly sinister account has nominated her for "antisemite of the year"......

But this is all you have been doing the whole thread…You keep making disgusting comments about these countries instead of defending your point of view.

Yeah people like the UN, Amnesty what would they know

I'm showing you the glass houses and how pointless it is to throw stones from them.

None of those glasshouses shield a current genocide

It's a long time since Ireland won Eurovision. But the boycott over Israel is well in line with the public mood and political gestures made over the last year.

I would say you're being unnecessarily cynical in this case. After all, they know they can always pull the Lovely Horse gambit if they need to.

I've seen all of the abuse poor Ms Rachel has been getting. The consequences for people who stand up for innocent children are really shocking. So many hate filled people who can't bear that Palestinian children are being spoken up for. It's really brave of Ms Rachel to continue to highlight the suffering of children around the world, she and her husband donated $1million this year to the world food programme to help provide meals for starving people and this is the thanks she gets 😕

Thanks, but no need to show me anything. I tend to inform myself from varied, reputable sources and not from a random person in the internet. I think it’s important to base claims on a well-rounded understanding of history, and you are not doing that.

I adore her, Ms Rachel is the best of humanity ❤️.

The way that she centres Palestinian children amidst all the abuse she is getting and my do the children love her.

And she does it with such class. I think that's what angers her haters so much, despite their attempts at destroying her in some sort of coordinated mafia shakedown, she persists and makes it simple. Killing children is wrong.

And yet, here you are, chatting shit to a random person on the internet. Ain't life grand?

Agree
Ireland won’t want to share the stage with Israel
This is their only reason and others trying to convince themselves it has nothing to do with Israel know nothing about the Irish

I do hope others pull out because Eurovision has already become political no matter how others try to say it isn’t.

I don’t have any particular interest in engaging with you (and won’t be doing again). I just felt the need to correct your (misleading) claims about some countries’ history. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

I'm not calling Spain fascist, please don't put words into my mouth.

Just pointing out that they have never been a friend to Jews and that hasn't changed in more recent history, unlike Germany.

How many times does it need to be said - condemning the killing of innocent children is NOT antisemitic. Why do you not allow anyone to have this very valid opinion without accusing them of hate? @SharonEllis

I have no power to allow or disallow anyone to say anything.

Of course the condemning of killing of innocent children is not automatically antisemitic. That is self evident. It can be and often is when it invokes the blood libel, when it focusses disproportionately on the killing of children by Israel but is uninterested in the killing of children in any other conflict or country and when it takes no account of Hamas's culpability in the high death toll amongst its own civilians.

Have you ever heard of the AFD @Twiglets1 i think if you are truly concerned with anti semitism you might be focussed on their rise in Germany and actual anti semitism

Well said.

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.

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

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.