In an open letter, former ESC participants, among others, accuse the organizers of double standards.
In recent weeks there has been repeated discussion about Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). In Iceland and Finland there are petitions calling for a boycott in public spaces and online. Now there is also criticism in the host country Sweden. Around 1,000 Swedish artists are calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in an open letter to exclude Israel from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Former ESC participants, celebrities and musicians join the letter.
The tabloid newspaper “Aftonbladet” published the demand on January 29th. The singer Robyn, the indie pop duo First Aid Kit and Greta Thunberg’s mother Malena Ernman have signed, among others.
“Double standards and ignorance towards Gaza civilians”
The letter criticizes the EBU’s decision to allow Israel to take part in the competition: “The events in Gaza are a humanitarian catastrophe and the international court in The Hague recently decided to continue the proceedings and accuse Israel of violating the Genocide Convention.” In less than four months, around 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed “and the foreign press is denied access to the Gaza Strip.” This represents one of the greatest attacks on press freedom in modern times, they justify their demand.
The approximately 1,000 supporters accuse the organizers of double standards and refer to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine in 2022. According to the EBU, no Russian musicians were allowed to take part in the music contest due to the attacks. But Belarus is also mentioned, which was also not allowed to compete in 2021 due to violations of press freedom. Admitting Israel “exhibits a remarkable double standard that undermines the credibility of the organization” and renders the suffering of the victims invisible.
EBU rejects exclusion
The organizers had previously resisted the exclusion, citing the non-political nature of the competition. As artists, the supporters argue, they have the opportunity to influence influential actors and thus counteract “artwashing”.
Former Swedish ESC representative Eric Saade and opera singer and ex-participant Malena Ernman, also known as Greta Thunberg’s mother, also signed.