The drama at Festival da Canção continues: Dinis Mota joins the artists’ revolt and declares he will refuse to represent Portugal at Eurovision following the decision to allow Israel to take part in Eurovision 2026. Will the revolt affect Portugal’s selection process?
Two days ago (Tuesday), the artist Dinis Mota, who is competing in Festival da Canção 2026, announced on social media that he will not represent Portugal at the upcoming contest in Vienna, Austria if he wins the festival, following the decision that Israel will take part in Eurovision 2026.
“I Can’t Ignore the Injustices Being Committed in Gaza”
In a post on his Instagram page, the artist stated that he will not represent Portugal if he wins the festival, because he feels that he
“Cannot continue to go about daily life as usual in light of Israel’s fighting in Gaza”.
“As a citizen, a musician and a human being, I cannot ignore the injustices being committed in Gaza and continue my day as usual. I strongly oppose anyone who attacks and harms others. I thank the Portuguese broadcaster for giving me the right to take part in the song festival and for accompanying me throughout this journey, but at the same time I announce that I will not represent Portugal at Eurovision if I win ‘Festival da Canção’, in light of Israel’s participation in the contest”.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
In his statement, the artist also invited all countries, with particular emphasis on his own country Portugal and on Spain, Ireland, Iceland , Slovenia and The Netherlands – countries that have announced their withdrawal from the contest in Vienna due to Israel’s participation – to join his proposal to organize an international concert in Austria to be held close to the upcoming Eurovision, with all proceeds donated to humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.
In addition, Mota referred in his post to the festival participants who had already jointly declared the same action last week, explaining why he did not take part in their announcement and chose to join the move only now:
“I did not sign the joint declaration in time not because I disagree with its principles – I stand in solidarity with my colleagues. I acted this way because I believe that music is a means for peace, dialogue and action, and it took me time to form a final opinion that accurately represents all my thoughts on the matter”.
The artist is joining eleven other festival contestants who last week announced in a joint statement that they would boycott the contest should they win, as a protest against Israel’s participation. The artists’ move is made possible by a new clause added to the festival’s rules, stating that the Festival da Canção winner is not obligated to represent Portugal at Eurovision, unlike in previous years. As a result of the artists’ decision, only four participants out of all 16 remain in the race to represent Portugal at the upcoming Eurovision.
The Portuguese national broadcaster, RTP, previously stated that it had voted in favor of the new regulations and that it supported Israel’s participation at the general assembly of the EBU, and was then forced to dealwith internal protests by employees against the decision.
Full list of artists signing the declaration:
- Bateu Matou
- Cristina Branco
- Djodje
- Evaya
- Francisco Fontes
- Gonçalo Gomes
- Inês Sousa
- Jacaréu
- Marquise
- Nunca Mates o Madarim
- Rita Dias
- Dinis Mota
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Artists’ Revolt – Protest Step or Part of a Trend?
Two weeks ago, the latest general assembly of the EBU was held in Geneva, Switzerland, where members overwhelmingly approved the new regulations, thereby confirming Israel’s participation in Vienna.
Following these decisions, a storm erupted across Europe, triggering a wave of criticism calling for the conference’s resolutions to be reversed. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain chose to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 due to Israel’s participation, and quite a few former Eurovision participants joined the wave as well – Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo announced that he is returning his winner’s trophy to the EBU as a protest against Israel’s participation, and numerous former representatives in the contest were quick to praise him for “the brave decision”. Following Nemo, Eurovision 1994 winner Charlie McGettigan decided to return his winner’s trophy as well and to join the protest In addition, three other past winners sharply criticized the conference’s decisions – and with them many others – and it seems this has almost turned into a kind of “trend”.
Now, the participants in Portugal’s Festival da Canção have also joined the protest, and the artists’ declaration raises many questions: does this step come from a genuine place – or are they also simply part of the trend? Why did the artists choose to revolt precisely now? After all, it has been known that since the beginning of the war between Israel and Gaza two years ago there has been criticism by fans and artists over Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
It appears that the artists’ move does not truly stem from a purely genuine protest. Under the current circumstances, the artists have significant backing, and the revolt no longer appears to be breaking boundaries. The trend has already become part of the routine, and as a result, artists who previously would not have dared now suddenly find the courage to protest.
Possible Implications – Could the Revolt Change Portugal’s Eurovision Selection Process?
The chances that one of the revolting participants will win “Festival da Canção 2026” are quite high (75%), in light of the withdrawal of almost all the festival contestants, leaving only four participants in the race to represent Portugal in Vienna.
In response to the turmoil, the Portuguese national broadcaster RTP stated last week that despite the artists’ revolt, the country will still send a representative to the upcoming contest in Vienna and clarified:
“Regardless of the decision taken by the artists who signed the declaration, whose content we understand, RTP will once again organize Festival da Canção and confirms its participation in Eurovision 2026, together with the overwhelming majority of EBU member countries”.
Although RTP sounds determined that the representative will be chosen through Festival da Canção, the issue raises many questions about the selection process – what will the broadcaster do if one of the boycotting artists wins the festival? Will it choose one of the four artists who did not sign the declaration? Might it replace the boycotting artists with other participants? Or will it instead select another artist entirely via an internal selection? For now, all that remains is to wait and see.
Dates of “Festival da Canção 2026”:
- First Semi-Final – Saturday, February 21st, 2026.
- Second Semi-Final – Saturday, February 28th, 2026.
- Grand Final – Saturday, March 7th, 2026.
“Deslocado” (in English: “Displaced”) is the song that will be performed by NAPA band, representing Portugal in Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Portugal finished 21st with 50 points, ranked 19th in jury vote and 21st in public vote.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Portugal’s 57th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Portugal joined the competition in 1964 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2017 when singer Salvador Sobral won first place with the song “Amar pelos dois”.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
