RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, announced on Thursday that Ireland will not take part in next year’s Eurovision song contest if Israel is a contestant, due to its genocide in Gaza.
Ireland has joined Spain, Iceland and Slovenia in a threatened boycott of November’s Eurovision song contest if Israel is not banned from competing over its genocide in Gaza.
In a statement, the broadcaster said it would be ‘unconscionable’ for it to take part in the contest while Israel continued its bombardment, blockade and mass murder on the Gaza Strip.
The Irish broadcaster stated: ‘It is RTE’s position that Ireland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, if the participation of Israel goes ahead, and the final decision regarding Ireland’s participation will be made once the EBU’s decision is made,’ RTE said.
‘RTE is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages.’
All the European national broadcasters in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees Eurovision, are being consulted over the exclusion of Israel for the mass slaughter of Palestinians and journalists in the Gaza Strip before making a final decision.
RTE’s statement was welcomed by Irish pro-Palestine campaigners, who have long called for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision.
Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestinian countries in the EU and has already angered Israel by formally recognising Palestine last year, as did Spain and Slovenia.
Zoe Lawlor, chairperson for the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), told Middle East Eye (MEE) that the move was ‘well overdue’ and should have come years earlier.
‘This is RTE finally reflecting the will of the majority of people in Ireland who stand resolutely in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against Israel’s apartheid and genocide,’ she said.
She added: ‘It is also testament to the huge, years-long campaign in Ireland calling for a boycott of Eurovision failing the EBU expelling Israel.’
The Spanish government, which has described the war in Gaza as a genocide, on Wednesday said it would be withdrawing from the contest if Israel took part.
Ernest Urtsun, Spain’s culture minister said in May: ‘I don’t think we can normalise Israel’s participation in international events as if nothing is happening,’ and the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Israel should not be allowed to take part.
Spain’s comments follow a similar warning from Slovenia’s national broadcaster last week.
However, defending Israel, are right-wing governments in Italy and Germany who are reportedly ready to walk out of Eurovision if Israel is banned, splitting the growing support for Palestine among EU leaders.
In fact, this two day boycott must be just the start of the action. It must be extended to an indefinite General Strike to completely and immediately stop all trade, military, financial and political support for Israel, in Ireland and the rest of the EU. Other countries must also take action to stop the war, and achieve an independent state of Palestine.
In Britain, the BBC refused to comment when approached by MEE, while PM Keir Starmer’s government, despite some weasel words of condemnation of the unconscionable Palestinian deaths from the pro-Israel government, continues exporting arms, military equipment and logistics and intelligence support to Tel Aviv to facilitate the continued mass murder in Gaza.
This week’s TUC annual union conference in Brighton voted unanimously for an NEU union motion to call on the UK government to give full support for Palestine to stop the annihilation of a nation, with over 60,945 killed, in Gaza and 1,024 killed the West Bank, including a full complete and permanent ceasefire with full and immediate food and aid access to Gaza, and a total trade boycott of Israel.
The TUC General Secretary himself, Paul Nowak, addressed the congress and also voiced his vocal support for Palestine and the aims of the NEU resolution, but again limiting that to mere vocal support to ‘let us reiterate our movement’s calls’ for those aims.
What is apparent to everybody is that ‘calls’ for PM Starmer’s government’ to stop the genocide will fall on deaf ears as they are die-hard allies of and complicit in the Israeli genocide.The Israeli airstrikes and the murder of the Hamas negotiators in Qatar this week once again proves that Israel has no intention of stopping its genocide.
What is needed now is action by the masses of workers in their trade unions in the UK and elsewhere in the EU and the USA to take general strike actions to bring down their complicit pro-genocide governments and set up workers’ governments to bring in socialism.
Forward to workers’ governments to nationalise the economy and banks and to provide the necessities of life for workers in every country. Build the International Committee of the Fourth International worldwide to overthrow the capitalist system with socialist revolutions!