Vienna: More than 1,000 artists and production companies worldwide have called for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for May in Vienna, in protest against Israel's participation. The signatories, including well-known groups and musicians such as Massive Attack, Kneecap, Macklemore, and Roger Waters, have voiced their concerns over Israel's involvement in the event.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the statement was published on the website of the 'No Music for Genocide' movement and has gathered over 1,100 signatures. The movement claims that Israel's public broadcaster 'Kan' is complicit in crimes against humanity committed by Israel. The statement urges artists and production companies to join a cultural movement rejecting apartheid, occupation, and genocide against Palestinians by withdrawing their music from Israel.
The statement from 'No Music for Genocide' highlights that more than 1,000 artists and production companies have already geo-blocked and removed their works from Israel. This action is described as a response to the escalation in Gaza, ongoing occupation and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, apartheid within Israel, and global suppression of pro-Palestinian activities. It also mentions the ties between the music industry and the arms sector.
The initiative is seen as a step toward responding to Palestinian calls to isolate Israel, stressing that cultural boycotts have a historic role, referencing the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The statement emphasizes the power of unified creative work, asserting that cultural boycotts can add pressure to a growing interdependent movement worldwide.
Criticism is also directed at what the statement describes as double standards in the international response, noting that measures have not been taken against Israel after decades of illegal occupation and nearly three years of accelerated genocide in Gaza. The letter accuses Israel of violating ceasefires, starving and bombing Gaza, and applying racist death penalties to Palestinian hostages in Israeli prisons.
The Eurovision Song Contest, marking its 70th edition this year, is facing what is described as its largest boycott in history due to Israel's participation. Broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia have announced their withdrawal, criticizing Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
