More than 1,000 artists including Brian Eno, Massive Attack and Sigur Rós have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. They criticize the European Broadcasting Union for allowing Israel to compete for the third year amid its actions in Gaza. The letter demands that broadcasters, performers and fans refuse participation until Israel's broadcaster KAN is banned.
The No Music for Genocide campaign released the open letter on Monday, urging public broadcasters, performers, screening party organizers, crew and fans to boycott Eurovision. Signatories, numbering over 1,000, include Kneecap, Idles, Erika de Casier, Dry Cleaning, Mogwai, Macklemore, Primal Scream, Hot Chip, Smerz and Black Country, New Road. The letter states that Israel will be celebrated onstage despite what signers describe as its ongoing genocide in Gaza, while Russia remains banned for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It further reads, 'We refuse to be silent when Israel’s genocidal violence soundtracks and silences Palestinian lives.' Broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have already withdrawn in protest, according to the letter. Kneecap commented, 'Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022. Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide—and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage. That’s not neutrality. That’s a choice.' The initiative supports the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, active since 2024. Last year, artists such as Caribou, Hayley Williams, Dry Cleaning, Lorde and Björk joined the No Music for Genocide effort by geo-blocking their music from Israel.
