In 2022, Russia was banned from the Eurovision song contest following its invasion of Ukraine, with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) declaring that its involvement would “bring the competition into disrepute”. Today (April 21), a new open letter signed by over 1000 musicians, including Kneecap, Erica de Casier, Massive Attack, Smerz, Mechatok and more, asks why the same standard has not been applied to Israel. 

The open letter is spearheaded by No Music for Genocide, the cultural boycott movement that prompted over 1000 labels and artists to remove their music from streaming platforms in Israel in protest of their ongoing genocide in Gaza. “While many of us in the industry make light of Eurovision or doubt our own power as cultural producers, genocidal Israel’s leaders speak openly about the contest’s geopolitical value,” reads a statement by No Music for Genocide published alongside the letter. “NMFG stands with and amplifies the incredible grassroots organising efforts across Europe to boycott Eurovision until Israel is banned.”

2026 will mark the third consecutive year since Israel renewed its onslaught in Gaza and the remaining Palestinian territories, and also the third consecutive year that Israel has appeared at the European song contest, this year taking place in Vienna. “That’s not neutrality, that's a choice,” reads a statement by Irish rap band Kneecap. “We’ve paid a price for speaking out – lost gigs, court cases, visa bans – and we’d do it all again tomorrow. Silence is complicity. We stand with No Music for Genocide and every artist, fan and broadcaster who refuses to let the world's biggest music event be used to whitewash genocide.”

More widely, Israel’s onslaught also extends beyond Palestine. Since March 2026, Israel’s military forces have committed ethnic cleansing in Lebanon, killing more than two thousand people and displacing over one million. Its strikes on Iran, meanwhile, have drawn growing condemnation from the international community. 

The letter continues: “We applaud the principled withdrawals of the Spanish, Irish, Icelandic, Slovenian, and Dutch broadcasters, and the many national selection finalists committing to refuse to go to Eurovision. Just as artists stood against oppression in South Africa, we stand together now. Apartheid Israel’s president Isaac Herzog – named in South Africa’s submission to the International Court of Justice for inciting to genocide – has played a leading role in lobbying broadcasters not to ban Israel from the contest, the world’s most-watched live music event.”

Read and sign the full open letter here.