I have always been a fan of Eurovision, since I was a young child, and like many Europeans it previously marked one of the most significant dates in history for me and my friends to get together and enjoy the thrill of the competition. There is an atmosphere to Eurovision that is undoubtedly electric to those who follow it, and I feel it would be a disservice to its loyal followers to allow that atmosphere to be dispelled by war, genocide and hypocrisy.

Eurovision 2024 was a useless display of stubbornness from the European Broadcasting Union. With backstage chaos, fraught relations and mass boycotts, Eurovision is destined to continue on this legacy until it finally fizzles out for good, unless Israel is finally held accountable for its actions.

You cannot hide Israel’s actions from your audience. We have been watching our media feeds for the past 17 months, and have seen the disgusting conditions that millions of Palestinians have been forced into by Israel’s constant bombardement of their land. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed, many of whom are children, and studies have suggested that the numbers could be even higher.

Israel has claimed to have a right to defend itself, but when children are being shot in the streets and newborn babies are being blown up in hospitals, this excuse falls flat. Israel has already proven to the world that they are the aggressor, using antisemitism as a shield against criticism while simultaneously silencing their Jewish protestors and Orthodox citizens, and their attempt at covering up their entire history of oppression towards the Palestinian people is unravelling before our eyes. What Israel is doing is a genocide, and Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.

The UN has already classified Israel’s actions as being crimes against humanity, and yet you are still allowing them to compete. Why are you comfortable with promoting a genocide, when you have already banned Russia from the competition for its crimes against Ukraine?

This hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed, and if Russia is to be banned for starting a war, then Israel needs to be held to the same standard. If you believe that Eurovision is a place for love and unity, then prove it with your actions. The thousands of Gazans who are currently starving to death and freezing in their tents due to disgusting blockades of humanitarian aid should not be ignored in your message of “unity.”

The singer that has been chosen to perform in 2025 is a survivor of the October 7th attack, and I believe it is unjust for Israel to weaponise this in order to justify their right to perform. She is not being sent to represent her experiences, she is being sent as a puppet in order to dispel all criticism of her being there. Besides… why should she have the freedom to perform, when hundreds of thousands of Gazans are currently trapped in a war zone and fighting for their lives and the lives of their children? The double standard is blatant to anyone who has a shred of morality, and Eurovision is enabling this display of arrogance in the face of a genocide.

Millions of people are willing to participate in boycotts, which will only grow larger as the years go on. Tensions backstage will only increase, and Eurovision will forever surpass it’s previous heyday until no one is left watching. You have the power to stop that, by proving that you are not built on corruption and hypocrisy. To prove that you are not complicit in the murders of thousands of innocent civilians.

Israel can no longer get away with hiding the apartheid nature of its state, and until Palestine and its people are free from terror, control and oppression, we the audience do not want to participate in any competition that promotes Israel’s participation.

Even if it’s too late to ban Israel this year, I am calling for a permanent ban. Palestine and its people will always be worth more than a competition, and you can choose which is more important to you: uniting Europe, or siding with Israel.

There is no place for war in Eurovision. We do not sing above the voices of the innocent, nor dance upon their bodies. No one is free until we’re all free.

Thank you.