A storm in Greece: An anti-Israel organization issues a harsh letter urging participants of “Sing for Greece 2026”, to boycott and refuse representing Greece in protest of Israel’s participation.
The controversy surrounding Israel’s participation in Eurovision refuses to end. On Thursday evening, it was revealed that the Greek branch of the international BDS movement, known for promoting cultural and economic boycotts of Israel, sent a dramatic letter harshly criticizing Israel, the EBU, and the Greek national broadcaster, ERT. The letter calls on the 28 participants of “Sing for Greece” to boycott Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria and withdraw from the competition. The group urges participants to decline representing Greece if they win the pre-selection, citing accusations of “genocide” and war crimes by Israel in Gaza.
“Eurovision Is Not Above Politics”
The letter strongly condemns the EBU for allowing Israel to remain in the competition despite alleged violations of international law, comparing the situation to the previous exclusion of Russia and Belarus. It opens with the following message:
“Dear participant, the European Broadcasting Union continues to allow Israel to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest, despite its ongoing war crimes and genocide in Palestine. Israel’s participation stands in direct violation of international law, the UN acknowledgment of the Palestinian genocide, and rulings of the International Court of Justice.
Eurovision is not an institution ‘above politics.’ This is proven by the EBU’s decision to ban Belarus and Russia for political reasons. As long as Israel participates, the contest does not promote peace and unity among nations – it whitewashes genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the continuing apartheid regime in Palestine”.
The letter goes on to accuse the Greek national broadcaster of “implementing a policy of genocide whitewashing”, referencing earlier internal protests by Greek employees that urged ERT to pressure the EBU to exclude Israel from Eurovision.
Inspiration from Global Artistic Protests
In its letter, the movement writes that “hundreds of artists and cultural figures across Europe are demanding Israel’s expulsion”, and mentions the international “Queer Coalition for Palestine”, which calls to “resist brainwashing”.
BDS urges the Greek contestants to follow the example of countries and artists who have already taken a stand, such as Spain, Ireland, Iceland, The Netherlands, and Slovenia, which recently withdrew from the Vienna contest due to Israel’s inclusion. It also references Nemo, the Eurovision 2024 winner, who returned the trophy to the EBU as an act of protest, the Norwegian duo Ylvis, who withdrew from “Melodi Grand Prix”, and Italian singer Levante, who declared that she would refuse to represent Italy if she wins over Israel’s involvement.
The letter cites as inspiration the internal protest seen at Portugal’s Festival da Canção 2026, where 13 of the 16 competing artists announced their boycott of Eurovision 2026 as a protest against Israel’s participation, stating that they “cannot ignore the ongoing human rights violations in Gaza” and feel “a duty to oppose the current situation”.
The Greek BDS letter concludes with a renewed attack on the Greek national broadcaster and a direct appeal to the pre-selection contestants:
“We call on you to convey your message of humanity, peace, and solidarity – whether by withdrawing from the competition or, if you win, refusing to represent Greece in Eurovision 2026. ERT pursues a policy of genocide whitewashing. Artists must not follow this path. Music unites nations and promotes peace – it should not whitewash genocide and war crimes”.
This marks the first formal attempt to pressure individual Greek contestants to take a public stance on Israel’s participation. As of now, no artist in “Sing for Greece” has announced any protest action, leaving observers to watch closely how upcoming developments unfold in the coming days.
Greece at Eurovision 2025
“Asteromáta” (in English: “Eyes of Stars”) is the song performed by Klavdia, who represented Greece in the grand final of Eurovision 2025. Greece qualified to the grand final after finishing fourth in the second semi-final, with 112 points. In the grand final, Greece finished sixth in the grand final with 231 points, finishing eighth in both jury’s & public’s votes.
The sixth place that Greece achieved is considered the country’s best result since 2013 — when it ranked sixth as well.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Greece’s 46th participation in Eurovision. Greece joined the competition in 1974 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2005 when singer Helena Paparizou won first place with the song “My Number One”.
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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.
