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

Why should you surely see that?

Because the boycott is very clearly a result of Israel’s present actions. A small way for countries to say what is happening in Gaza cannot be supported in any way.

It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t blinkered by their own beliefs…

Not at all. We have seen a bursting of the flood gates in antisemitic attacks since 7 October across the world. Was the Manchester attack legitimate criticism of Israel?

My point is that all countries have their problems. And it pisses me off when people pick on countries they already don’t like for other reasons and turn a blind eye to the sins of countries they like. It is patently obvious that many people (not all) who oppose Israel’s participation in world events are anti semetic and / or think that the democratic country should be dismantled. If history teaches us anything it’s that Jewish people absolutely need their own country.

There were lots of posts on this thread dismissing concerns about Spain with variations of “but their racism was hundreds of years ago”. I was just pointing out that it isn’t - Spain clearly has significant issues with racism to this day. Not that any country is perfect, of course.

On a separate note, the idea that the UN is actually a bastion of impartial truth is just mind-boggling naive. I’ll believe there’s a genocide in Gaza when an actual independent body (eg ICJ) say so. Until then, I’ll take Lammy (trans women can grow a cervix) and the UN (trans women are women) with equal pinches of salt.

Bit of an exaggeration no? I think 2 guards in America and 2 in Manchester, 1 shot by the police. 1 Palestinian boy in America. Despite the fact that it seems extremely callous to count death against death. Almost inhumane.

Refusing to collaborate with Israel's state broadcaster on a music festival, based on Israel's very recent and current actions, does not amount to wishing or claiming that the state of Israel is illegitimate. Russia and South Africa have faced boycotts in various fields, at different times, without anyone denying their nationhood or statehood. There is an awful lot of strawmanning on this thread.

If you watch the news or read the reasons for countries boycotting Eurovision you can see first hand why they are

RTE for example was just on the news and stated their reasons including
the number of journalists killed in Gaza as the highest in any conflict
The lack of free reporting denied by Israel
etc

just watch the news

Was the Manchester attack legitimate criticism of Jews?

The UK Government won’t say it for two main reasons
1: They can’t possibly upset Trump that much!
2: We have a Labour Party Government who are terrified of anti semitic accusations.

Also because it’s up to the ICJ to determine
Not Lammy !

Are you for real?

A selected list of just some Attacks on Jews since 7 October. I have excluded attacks specifically on specifically Israeli targets.

18 October 2023, molotov cocktails thrown at a synagogue in Berlin

NOVEMBER 2023: Jewish woman stabbed in Lyon with antisemitic graffiti on door.

FEBRUARY 2024: Jewish man stabbed in Paris, attacker making antisemitic remarks.

MAY 1, 2024: a historic synagogue in warsaw was hit by a molotov cocktail

MAY 17, 2024: French police shot dead a knife-wielding Algerian man who set fire to a synagogue in the city of Rouen.

JUNE 2024: A Jordanian national broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, and caused more than $450,000 in damage. In May 2025, he was sentenced to six years in U.S. federal prison for threats against and attacks on businesses over their perceived support for Israel, after pleading guilty in December.

JUNE 2024: gang rape of a 12 year old Jewish girl, treated as antisemitic

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024: Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen living in Canada, was arrested and charged with planning a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around October 7, 2024 in support of Islamic State, the Department of Justice said.

JANUARY 17, 2025: A home in Sydney previously owned by a senior Jewish community leader was vandalised and two cars were set on fire, with one spray-painted with an antisemitic slur.

JANUARY 21, 2025: A childcare centre in Sydney was set alight and antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on the wall.

FEBRUARY 21, 2025: An attacker stabbed a man at Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

AUGUST 31, 2025: A Holocaust memorial in the French city of Lyon was defaced, with the words "Free Gaza" etched into a black marble stele.

OCTOBER 2, 2025: A man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard, killing at least two people and seriously injuring three more at a synagogue in Manchester where worshippers were marking Yom Kippur.

Patterns of antisemitic attacks:

The Anti-Defamation League recordrd 8,873 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2023, a 140% increase over 2022 and a record high since it began keeping track in 1979.

In 2024, ADL tracked 9,354 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in the United States. While the tally rose by only 5% from 2023, the group highlighted a significant rise in assaults, which accounted for 196 incidents.

According to the Protection Service for the Jewish Community, antisemitic acts in France rose from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023. 1,570 aggressions were recorded in 2024.

In Australia, antisemitic acts recorded from October 1, 2023 to September 20, 2024 showed a 316% increase from a year earlier to 2,062 incidents, a report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry showed.

According to CST 2023 saw record high in antisemitic attacks in UK with sustained high levels continuing.

How do any of these attacks on Jews relate to legitimate criticism of Israel? How do you account for such dramatic increases in attacks on people who do not in any way represebt the government of Israel?

I don't think any of these inexcusable things relate to legitimate criticisms of Israel.

I do think boycotting the Eurovision song contest is a peaceful and appropriate way to voice a legitimate criticism of Israel.

How many attacks on Muslims in that time? Or can’t you be bothered to collate that?

Record amount of anti-Muslim abuse reported in UK since 7 October attacks
This article is more than 1 year old
Tell Mama UK says it has recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hate in past year, the highest total in 14 years

It may be motivated by antisemitism, it may not, but I don’t think it follows that saying the motivation is Israeli action precludes antisemitic motivation, no.

Ironically Netanyahu is also using his massacre in Gaza to detract and delay his own corruption trial .

Are there any concerns that Spain is committing genocide or war crimes at present?

I can understand why you might want to wait for ICJ to say genocide has been committed - but that will literally take years. Independent lawyers in international law already think that Israel has committed war crimes. Like Russia and Hamas.

The thread was about antisemitism not anti Muslim attacks. But as you have asked I will post figures. Far from being 'not bothered' I have in fact posted this link on several previous occasions. I also work quite regularly in interfaith projects and can assure you I am 'bothered by all hate crime. I would note that the only time our projects are accompanied by police and security guards are at synagogues. Never at mosques, churches or temples.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-year-ending-march-2025/hate-crime-england-and-wales-year-ending-march-2025

The pertinent points are
Fig 2.2. Spike in offences against muslims August 2024 linked to Southport murders, not Israel-Gaza

Table 2.2. Religious hate crime per 10, 000 population (The Jewish population is tiny, much smaller than the Muslim population)
106 Jewish
13 Muslim

Do you still think my well-documented point that there has been an explosion of antisemitic hate is 'exaggerated'? How many Jewish people have to be abused attacked or murdered for it to be noteworthy?

Both can be true - there has been an increase in antisemitism and criticism of Israel is not due to antisemitism.

Are you asking us to turn a blind eye to concerns about Israel’s war crimes due to increase in antisemitism following 7/10?

Where do you think raising concerns on impact on Palestinians sits within this - as we can’t raise concerns about their welfare without understanding role of both Israel and Hamas in their suffering?

You were calling out a score. Not me.

You said I was exaggerrating when I said there had been an explosion of antisemitic hate. You either were not aware of the scale, which suggests at best a lack of curiosity and very narrow media sources, or deliberate minimising of reality.

Gosh.

Oh? Did you actually realise the scale of antisemitism then?