No to the Eurovision Song Contest as a propaganda show
Friday, May 15 th 2026 in Vienna
Every day, Palestinians are killed in the Gaza Strip, vital aid supplies are withheld amid the destruction, and renowned aid organizations are banned. At the same time, the violence of the occupiers in the West Bank and Jerusalem is escalating. Nevertheless, Israel is being offered a stage in the Song Contest as if there were no starvation, no ethnic cleansing, no occupation.
Art ist resistance
The Eurovision Song Contest thus becomes part of a propaganda apparatus through which genocide is normalized. Art and culture are not apolitical – they can also serve resistance. Just as the international boycott movement contributed to the fall of apartheid in South Africa, today there is a need for a boycott of Israel – including in the arts.
Five European countries – Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands – are already boycotting the Song Contest. ESC trophies are being returned in protest. This demonstrates the effectiveness of civil courage.
While the ESC excluded Russia from the competition, international law apparently does not count in Israel’s case.
We will not simply let this stand.
On May 15, the day commemorating the ethnic cleansing of Palestine (Nakba), which in 1948 led to the violent displacement of 750,000 Palestinians, our solidarity event will take place. With loud voices, we are bringing an alternative to the stage. International artists and activists are coming together to stand up for justice and to commemorate the Nakba.
The Song-Protest demonstrates: culture does not have to serve propaganda, but can contribute to resistance against systematic injustice.
Exclude Israel from the Song Contest! No Stage for genocide!
