Drama in Basel: The Eurovision winner breaks silence with unprecedented criticism of Israel’s participation and the contest’s leadership. What pushed them to speak out now?

Nemo, who brought victory to Switzerland at Eurovision 2024 with the song The Code, continues to spark controversy this year as well. In a new interview with HuffPost, they stated clearly: “I support the call for Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest.” Their comments join a wave of more than 70 artists and performers linked to the contest in the past, including two former winners, who recently signed an open letter calling to boycott Israel at the upcoming contest in Basel.

Nemo Declares: “I Do Not Support Israel’s Participation”

When asked in the interview whether they have an opinion on Israel’s participation, Nemo replied:

“Yeah, I do. I personally feel like it doesn’t make sense that Israel is a part of Eurovision. And of Eurovision in general right now. I don’t know how much I want to get into detail, but I would say, I don’t support the fact that Israel is part of Eurovision at the moment.”

Later, Nemo provided an additional statement, emphasizing:

“I support the call for Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”

The EBU Responds

In response to the public pressure, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) issued a statement aimed at calming tensions:

“We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East. The EBU is not immune to global events, but together with our members, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity, and inclusion through music.”

They added:

“As a reminder, the EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments, and any such broadcaster can participate in Eurovision if they meet the requirements. It is not our role to make comparisons between conflicts. As part of our mission to secure a sustainable future for public service media, we are supporting our Israeli member KAN against the threat of privatization or closure by the Israeli government.”

Strong Criticism of the New Flag Policy

Beyond the political critique, Nemo also strongly criticized Eurovision’s leadership regarding the change to the flag rules this year. According to the new policy, audience members can wave any flags they like (as long as they don’t violate Swiss law), but on stage and in official spaces, only the flag of the representing country is allowed.

Nemo was furious about this decision:

“That’s so dumb. I don’t get it. It’s so random sometimes. I just feel like… why? You know what I mean? You can’t be known for like the queerest thing in the world, basically, a contest that has been associated with queerness and gay culture for so long, and then be like, ‘we don’t allow Pride flags for the artists’.”

They further added:

“And especially after last year, when I had to smuggle in the non-binary flag, and they told me, ‘you can’t have it on stage’. Then after the contest, the official statement was, ‘it was never forbidden’. But this year, they’re proactively forbidding it. It’s very strange to me.”

Later, they said:

“It just confuses me. Also, this rule feels not thought through at all. I don’t know who decided that, how they decided it, and what the reason for it was, especially after last year. It just feels strange. It doesn’t really feel well planned. I don’t know.”

Nemo summarized their stance:

“It doesn’t even feel ill-intended. I don’t know, I’m just confused by it. I think that’s the only thing I can say. I don’t think it makes sense at all. And it’s harming, I feel like, the cause of Eurovision. I don’t know, it’s just weird to me.”

Nemo at Eurovision 2025

As a reminder, Nemo won Eurovision 2024, bringing Switzerland its coveted trophy with the song “The Code”, marking the country’s third win in the contest’s history—following Lys Assia, who won the first-ever Eurovision in 1956, and of course Céline Dion, who made history again in 1988.

As part of the celebrations around the current hosting in Basel, Nemo has been in the city in recent weeks, taking part in various events organized for fans. They are expected to perform as a guest artist during the Grand Final broadcast on Saturday, May 17.

Switzerland at Eurovision 2025

“Voyage” (translated as: “Journey”) is the title of the song that will be performed by singer Zoë Më, who will represent Switzerland in the grand final of Eurovision 2025 on May 17th in Basel, Switzerland. The song was written by the singer, Emily Middlemas, and Tom Oehler, who previously wrote and produced the German entry for Eurovision 2019. The song will be performed in French.

Currently, the singer is ranked 15th in the betting odds tables.

Who is Zoë Më?

Zoë Më, stage name for Zoë Alina Kressler is a Swiss singer born in Basel, who typically performs in French and German, blending what she describes as chanson with poetic pop. Although she grew up in Freiburg, Germany, she has always felt a strong connection to the French language and its musicality.

Zoë Më rose to public prominence in 2024, winning two awards from the Swiss national broadcaster – one from the German-speaking division and another from the French-speaking division. She has performed at several prestigious Swiss festivals, including the Lucerne Festival.

Source: Huffingtonpost

Eurovision 2025: This will be Switzerland’s 65th participation in Eurovision. Switzerland joined the contest in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Switzerland’s most recent victory was at the last Eurovision, 2025, with Nemo and the song “The Code”. This win follows Switzerland’s previous victory in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi”, performed by the international singer Céline Dion.