For seventy years, the Eurovision Song Contest has been more than a music competition.

It has been a celebration of unity, diversity, cultural dialogue, and the belief that music can build bridges where politics and hatred have created walls.

 

Eurovision was conceived after the devastation of war — as a shared promise that nations could coexist peacefully on one stage, using art rather than conflict to define their identity.

 

Today, that promise is being broken.

 

We, fans, media, musicians, creative professionals, and devoted followers of the Eurovision Song Contest, feel compelled to speak out because an institution that once represented hope, cooperation, and joy is now distancing itself from the very values it was built upon.

 

 

 

 

Why we are petitioning

 

We are not motivated by rivalry, politics, or partisanship.

We are motivated by principles.

 

Because institutions must be held accountable when they betray the ideals they claim to defend.

Because Eurovision is not the private property of an executive board — it belongs to its community: the audience who supports it, the artists who build it, and the broadcasters who invest in it.

 

We know those currently leading the EBU — the European Broadcasting Union — and some of its member broadcasters may choose not to listen.

We know our concerns may be dismissed.

 

But we refuse to stay silent while decisions are made that undermine the credibility, safety, equality, and ethical integrity of the contest.

 

 

 

 

Our main concerns

 

1. Rule violations and lack of accountability

 

Over recent years, repeated breaches of Eurovision regulations have been tolerated without consequences.

This includes:

 

• Cases in which external political conflicts have overshadowed the contest

• Documented controversies involving rule-breaking by delegations

• Public complaints from broadcasters and artists about unfair treatment

• Incidents requiring last-minute changes to protect the safety of the event

 

When rules are not enforced equally, Eurovision ceases to be fair.

 

2. Participation of Israel under ongoing serious conflict

 

We highlight the concern — expressed by experts, humanitarian organisations, artists, and fans worldwide — that Israel’s participation amid ongoing armed conflict and political tension directly contradicts the principles Eurovision claims to uphold.

 

These concerns include:

 

• Repeated controversies around conduct during previous contests

• Situations that have harmed the spirit of cooperation among broadcasters

• Conditions that pose risks to the stability of the event and its participants

 

This is not an abstract issue. It has already led to:

 

• Withdrawals of broadcasters

• Public boycotts

• The loss of millions of viewers

• A crisis of trust in Eurovision’s leadership

 

When a conflict is so severe that multiple broadcasters cannot safely or ethically participate, the situation is no longer compatible with Eurovision’s founding mission.

 

3. The inaction of the EBU and part of its leadership

 

Some members of the EBU have had the responsibility — and the mechanisms — to act:

 

• To enforce the rules

• To ensure a safe and fair environment

• To preserve the reputation of the contest

 

Instead, they have chosen silence and inaction.

They have chosen to protect political convenience over cultural values, and financial interests over fans and broadcasters.

 

By refusing to intervene, they have allowed these issues to deepen year after year.

 

 

 

 

What we are defending

 

We are defending the belief that Eurovision must remain:

 

• Non-political, not selectively political

• Inclusive, not coercive

• Transparent, not arbitrary

• Safe, not dangerously compromised

• A celebration of culture, not a stage for conflict

 

We are defending a legacy created through seven decades of passion, sacrifice, and creativity — by millions of people who believed in the power of music to unite.

 

Eurovision’s values cannot be disposable.

 

 

 

 

Our message to the EBU

 

Even if you choose to ignore this petition, its existence will prove something important:

 

That the Eurovision community did not accept your decisions.

That we did not agree with the direction you have imposed.

That we did not abandon the principles that Eurovision was created to protect.

 

If you continue on this path, Eurovision will lose far more than partners, broadcasters, sponsors, or audiences.

 

It will lose its soul.

 

 

 

 

Our commitment

 

Even if our signatures cannot reverse the decisions already made, they will remain as:

 

• A public and permanent record

• A statement of dignity and accountability

• A declaration that we stood up for what Eurovision truly represents

 

We call upon the EBU to:

 

• Enforce its rules without exceptions

• Ensure that no broadcaster undermines the core values of the contest

• Restore the contest’s integrity and credibility

• Listen to the community that has sustained Eurovision for seven decades

 

And we call upon all signatories to stand united in defense of culture, peace, artistic freedom, and the right of every nation to participate without fear, without manipulation, and without injustice.

 

If the EBU will not protect Eurovision’s values — its community will.